Blood & Nails
by Calmardaa
Summary: COMPLETE! (Sequel has been started here on FF.Net) HarryDraco SLASH! Not for the kiddies! Would you kill for it? Die for it? What would you do for love and would it do in return? Would it save you from yourself?
1. Prologue : The Midnight Monster

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Not too graphic, but yeah, bad stuff.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Prologue. The Midnight Monster.  
  
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Dark. Cold. Silent.  
  
Mostly.  
  
The small, young boy quietly crept down the stairs. His parents disapproved of his after hours snacking but he had long ago figured out for himself that there was no such thing as the Midnight Monster.  
  
The dark, ugly, brutal creature that waited in the darkness to grab those children who disobeyed their parents about going into the kitchen at night.  
  
He carefully avoided the second bottom step that had a tendency to creak at inappropriate times and walked across the soft carpet, pushing his glasses back up so they sat properly on his nose. Guiding himself by the small light on the stove, he made it to the fridge and opened it as soundlessly as possible.  
  
As he stared at the array of food he wondered which was what he felt like that night. A soft breeze made he look up and he frowned softly at the open window. The curtain shifted gently as cool air from the outside drifted in, making his breath come out as a puff of cloud.  
  
His parents always closed the house up before they went to bed. They were always worried about robbers.  
  
He walked over and looked out the window. His street may as well have been dead as there was no sound other than some leaves in next door's yard and some very distant traffic. It looked perfectly normal. It felt completely wrong. He shivered and put it down to the cold air.  
  
He slowly pulled the window down, careful to not let it drop, and closed the curtains. He padded his way back to the open fridge where light was spilling out and again looked at the contents. He eventually decided on some strawberries and pulled the small plastic container out from under the bread rolls.  
  
He felt around the counter and finally located his target. Grabbing the sugar bowl, he sat down at the table, dipping each strawberry into the sugar and then eating them up to the stems.  
  
He froze, his arm halfway to his mouth, and looked to the ceiling as a soft noise came from his parents bedroom. It wasn't repeated so he returned to his treat, slowly sucking off the sugar before eating the pulp.  
  
He looked to the door of the dining room, he couldn't see into the room, it was too dark. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. It almost felt as if he was being watched.  
  
He whipped his head around as the wind outside suddenly blew fiercely, causing leaves and twigs to rush across his view, scratching the glass. He readjusted his glasses and closed up the container holding the strawberries and returned it and the sugar bowl back to their rightful places.  
  
He hesitated at the doorway to the dining room. This room was starting to scare him, he could hear his breathing get more erratic. His mind filled with ideas of gruesome creatures waiting in the dark, waiting to reach out and grab him, waiting to drag him off. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. Telling himself that he was being silly and childish. That he was starting school in a week, and that he'd better grow up.  
  
That there was no such thing as monsters.  
  
Not ones that crept around your house in the middle of the night, anyway.  
  
He took a big breath and forced his right foot to take the first step. Slowly, he moved across the dining room and reached the stairs. In his rush to get back to his room, he stepped on the second stair. He halted, his heart pounding. Luckily the stair had decided to not make a sound and he quickly skipped up the rest of the way.  
  
He let out an shaky sigh as he closed his door, feeling safe again when he was finally back in his own room. He walked unsteadily over to his bed and sat down, waiting for the end of the dizzy feeling his fear had caused. His hands were still trembling and he mentally scolded himself for being so foolish.  
  
He took his glasses off and placed them on his bed side table and bent over to remove his shoes. A soft whisper reached his ears and a bright blue light caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.  
  
But by the time he had turned his head he couldn't see anything. Not even the dim light that had been coming through his window, from the moon. His heart started to slam in his chest as he realised he couldn't hear either and that a odd stiff sensation had seized his throat.  
  
A soundless scream escaped him as he felt someone grab his arm.  
  
Someone or something.  
  
His mind was gibbering at him to do something, but wasn't allowing him the luxury of actually thinking what. With three of his senses down, he only felt the fact that he was pushed roughly into the wall and the hopeful thought that his parents had heard it flashed passed his mind as it raced on and on.  
  
In hysterical desperation, he whipped his head from one way to the other and struck out with his hands and legs only to have his head feel like it had exploded when something was brutally slammed into the side of it.  
  
Dazed and terrified, he squirmed weakly as the unseen, unheard monster in his room, lifted him into a standing position. He started to recite the God's Prayer in his mind but only got to 'Thy Kingdom Come.' before he threw his head back into the wall and let out a soundless howl as pain shot up his arm from his left hand.  
  
But to the monster, his scream only sounded as if his was breathing heavily, wheezing almost. The hand pinning his arm to the wall left and he tried pulling it back to the side of his body, only to have the pain escalate.  
  
Tears of agony and fear ran down his face continuously as the pain was repeated in his other hand.  
  
He couldn't move his arms without the pain worsening so he tried to remain very still, not wanting to aggravate them any further. He shivered as he felt warm breath on his cheek, the monster obviously saying something he couldn't hear.  
  
He noiselessly whined as a burning pain started at the top of his forehead and moved down slowly in an odd pattern. He felt his glasses being pushed back onto his face and he madly laughed in his head, wondering why they were being put on even though he couldn't see.  
  
A warm sticky feeling heightened the pain in his forehead. The monster was licking his cut. The saliva made the cut burn so much that his eyes watered even harder. The smell of blood and sweat were the only things the second of his two remaining senses could latch on to. He could feel the blood running down and dripping on to his cheekbone and the breath returned on his cheek.  
  
By this time he was silently pleading to be released, to be let go, to be let alone. The breath came out in little puffs on his face and the boy shut his eyes tighter as he realised the monster was laughing.  
  
Laughing at his pain and his terror.  
  
The breath was back to normal, soundless words he had no way of interpreting. He prayed for release and for the pain to stop. He prayed for it all to be a dream and that his parents would come in and shake him awake.  
  
Tell him it had all been a bad dream. Hold him close and whisper their loving words.  
  
A small sliver of pain started on his neck.  
  
He prayed for life.  
  
The pain spread across his throat in a burning slender line.  
  
He prayed for death.  
  
The pain intensified to an unbearable level.  
  
He played for the terror to stop.  
  
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.  
  
He got his last two wishes.  
  
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.  
  
The dark figure stared unfeelingly at the small boy's body. Well, that wasn't entirely true. It did feel something. Brought on by the lack of feeling that had been it's life before that moment. It felt relief. It felt contentment.  
  
It felt at peace for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.  
  
Forever is a long time to suffer. Respite was always welcome.  
  
But it knew the feeling wouldn't last. And that, soon, maybe a week, maybe a month, it would have to slip into another home. Capture another and feel the dizzying high of peace again.  
  
Child, adult, male, female. Next time it wouldn't matter. This time, this very first time, it had to be this child, this boy, but next time it wouldn't matter.  
  
From now on, all that would matter was the peace. The tranquillity of their pain. The serenity of their terror. It wouldn't matter if they did or didn't look like Harry. It wouldn't matter if they didn't have his glasses, didn't have his hair.  
  
Didn't have his scar.  
  
The boy's Midnight Monster stretched out a hand and traced the gash it had made on the previously smooth forehead. It slowly brought it's hand to it's mouth and idly ran it's tongue up the gloved finger, scooping up the small dab of blood.  
  
It had never done this before, the thrill of killing something was a new sensation that had to be analysed. So it could understand what kind of person it was. What it felt. Why doing this made all the chaos in it's head calm down.  
  
Maybe it was a monster.  
  
It didn't care. The confusion, the humiliation, the anger, the pain, the frustration. They were all down to manageable levels. It didn't have to cringe at the idea of a new day. It didn't have to plaster a false smile on and wander around, pretending everything was fine.  
  
Pretending that there was no urge to slowly bleed a certain someone to death.  
  
It took out a small phial from a concealed pocket. It started off patiently waiting for the blood to drip and fill the flask, but grew tired of natural composure and magically enchanted the blood to run faster. It put the cork in quickly and strode to the window.  
  
One last look at the boy sent a surge of accomplishment and comfort through it's system. The dark figure slipped out of the window leaving it's work behind.  
  
----------  
  
The screaming mother never even saw the words, scrawled in her own son's blood, on the wall. Didn't see the meticulous work that had been put into every curve, every line. Didn't see the emotion behind them, in them.  
  
She wouldn't have understood anyway. Not then, not ever.  
  
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{Forgive Love.}  
  
To Be Continued. 


	2. Part One : Dazed, DeSpirited, Drugged

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part One. Dazed, De-Spirited, Drugged.  
  
Eyelids slowly lifted and presented beautiful, grey eyes to the world. Draco sighed spiritlessly at the prospect of another day. By now he knew his routine perfectly and pulled it off every day, flawlessly.  
  
Get up, go to classes, report anything and everything, pretend to like his friends, pretend to like his girlfriend, pretend to like his life.  
  
Ignore Harry. Ignore his beautiful smile, ignore his musical laugh, stop craving the sensation of his touch, stop craving his mere presence.  
  
Go to bed, feeling empty and cold.  
  
Ignore the loneliness, ignore the anguish.  
  
Ignore the way Harry sometimes looked back at him. Ignore the slight hope it gave him. Because Draco could never have him.  
  
He must never approach him, never go after him, never endanger him more than the damnable boy already did for himself.  
  
"My love is a curse." Draco announced to the ceiling. Before his brain finally woke up a little more and realised that he shouldn't see a ceiling. He should see the canopy of his bed.  
  
He slowly lifted his head, looking around and almost yelped when he saw Dumbledore sitting to his right. Much to the blonde's gratitude, the sound came out as if he was mildly annoyed. "Dumbledore? Where's my room?" He sat up studying the elder wizard carefully. "And what happened to your beard? Why is it so short?"  
  
Dumbledore's beard only just reached to his chest. The headmaster waved his hand in dismissal of the questions. "Draco, Draco, all will be explained, I promise. But first I need you to drink this for me." Dumbledore lifted up a glass filled with clear liquid and handed it to the very confused young man.  
  
Draco sniffed it. "Veritaserum?" The sharp smell of fresh Jasmine, lemon and blood was a dead give-away.  
  
"Yes, in water. Ahh, here they are." Draco frowned as four men walked into the room and shut the door behind them. He didn't recognise any of them but a couple were wearing Auror robes. "Please, Draco, just drink it." Dumbledore finished as the men took seats around him.  
  
"Aurors? Am I being charged with something?"  
  
"Please." Dumbledore motioned to the glass.  
  
Seeing nothing else that could be done about the situation, Draco took a deep breath and drank it down, ignoring the bitter taste. An odd, but not completely unpleasant, tingling feeling swept through his body. A sensation he remembered well.  
  
"Just answer our questions Draco, then Dumbledore will explain anything you yourself might have questions about." Said one of them men.  
  
"Real explanations or Dumbledore explanations?" Draco drawled sarcastically. "There's a huge difference, you know?"  
  
The men all smiled and Dumbledore tapped his foot, mildly insulted. "I shall be asking the questions. They felt that it would be the most productive course of action. A friendly face and all that."  
  
"Very well, sir. Let's get this over with." Draco looked around the bare room. Almost like a cell. "I want to get back to my dorm. .... Well, maybe not." Cell or no cell, Draco was pleased to see that Crabbe and Goyle were no where to be seen.  
  
"What year is it?"  
  
Draco blinked slowly as his mind ran through a few answers. "Er, Dumbledore? Just a thought, but have you gone just that little bit further and therefore *completely* around the bend?"  
  
"What year is it, Draco?" The headmaster repeated patiently.  
  
Draco sighed and shook his head in worry. "1996."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"Are these standard questions? Surely they can't be? You don't ask everyone these things do you? It's not very productive, in my opinion."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
The young man decided that the quickest way to get this over with, and then demand to know what these people had been smoking when they had hit upon the idea of shoving him into a room and dosing him up with truth serum, was to answer their questions. No matter how insane. "I turned sixteen last June."  
  
"What did you do yesterday?"  
  
Draco bit back a nasty comment. "Um, I went to my classes, watched the Quidditch match, tolerated Crabbe and Goyle as they prattled on about Voldemort and world domination and then gratefully escaped to bed." Draco left off the fact that he hadn't slept well. He'd had odd dreams of blood and Harry looking at him sadly.  
  
Almost as if the Gryffindor was going to start crying. And then an awful cold wet feeling had washed over in his dream, making him wake up.  
  
"Quidditch match? Between who?" Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"Er, you were there, you know? Okay, okay. It's was a Gryffindor verses Slytherin match. Gryffindor won, by the way." Draco said sarcastically.  
  
"Why weren't you playing in the game?"  
  
"I broke my back during practice when Ron Weasley smashed me with a bludger and I crashed into one of the stands. Pomfrey had wanted me to rest for a few days, just to be sure." Draco smiled. "Ron got a month's worth of detentions from McGonagall. It was worth it."  
  
"Do you know a boy called Samuel Matthews?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Have you ever killed anyone?"  
  
"I beg your pardon? Am I being charged with murder?" He got no response. "No. I've never killed anyone or anything. And I don't intend to, for your information."  
  
"What is your relationship with Harry Potter?"  
  
"I don't have one with him. He hates me."  
  
"Do you hate him?"  
  
"No."  
  
"What do you feel for him?"  
  
"I don't see why it matters." Draco was determined to keep his pride.  
  
"What do you feel for Harry Potter?"  
  
"I want to speak to Professor Snape."  
  
"What do you feel for Harry Potter." Dumbledore was not giving up on this one.  
  
Draco sighed. "I think I love him."  
  
"You only think?"  
  
"Well, I know what lust is, I know what a crush is. This is ..... different. Warm. Confusing." Draco looked up at the headmaster. "I love him. That's all I can account it to. But I would never approach him." Draco hurried on. "It would be too ...... er, " Draco trailed off, refusing to ever mention his job to spy on Voldemort. Even to Dumbledore. He knew exactly how easy it was to make or acquire Polyjuice Potion. "It would be far too inappropriate." He finished.  
  
Dumbledore looked to the other men. "Is that enough?"  
  
They stood as one answered. "Quite. We are satisfied with this. We have no objections to release him and cancel the execution."  
  
"The WHAT?" Draco jumped out of the bed as Dumbledore lifted his hands.  
  
"Please, Draco. I will explain everything. Just sit down."  
  
Draco grabbed Dumbledore's beard and tugged, to make the elder wizard look up at him. "Would you like to start with why I was suddenly under the penalty of death?" He hissed, glancing to the men as they turned to leave the room.  
  
"Draco, please. Sit down. You're going to need to."  
  
Draco knew that could not be good sign of what was coming. He released Dumbledore and took a seat on the bed. "What's happening? I don't understand. What's going on? Why was I about to be executed? They haven't even passed that law yet to say that executions are legal."  
  
"Draco. Now I want you to keep an open mind about all of this. I'm afraid you're going to be rather overwhelmed and I wish it didn't have to be so."  
  
"Get to the point." The young man hissed out from between clenched teeth.  
  
"It's the year 2001. You are technically 21 and, up until yesterday, you were under arrest for 27 brutal murders."  
  
Draco was still struggling with the 2001 point. He head started to pound as he tried to incorporate this new information. He closed his eyes, rationalising that Dumbledore was insane and maybe just trying to brace him for the real news.  
  
Deciding this must be it, he felt the urge to find solid proof. He stood up slowly and walked over to the small basin he had noticed in the corner of the room. He lifted his eyes to look at his reflection. The first things he saw were his eyes. It was him.  
  
But it wasn't.  
  
His hair was styled differently for a start. It was a slightly longer length, looking good for his face shape. It wasn't plastered to his head, like his father kept insisting. If this was all true and it was five years into the future, he didn't even know if his father was still alive.  
  
He looked harder into the mirror, looking for the tell tale signs of the image being magically induced. Either on him, or on the mirror. There wasn't any. But there were slight scars on the left side of his neck. He brought his hand up to them and noticed the ring on his finger.  
  
He was obviously married.  
  
His brain ran to keep up with all these new things, as his body went rather numb. His eyes went blurry and he turned to Dumbledore. He opened his mouth to say something as thoughts rushed around his head.  
  
He was 21. He was married. He was accused of murder. He was ........  
  
He was now lying on the floor, as his brain, unable to keep up and process it all, shut itself off and plunged him back into merciful darkness.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	3. Part Two : Washed Away, Dissolved

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Blood & Nails.  
  
.  
  
Part Two. Washed Away, Dissolved.  
  
For the second time in two hours, Draco opened his eyes. He was back in the bed and Dumbledore had moved the chair to sit closer.  
  
"I'm 21?"  
  
"I know this is a shock to you Draco, and I'm sorry. I guess part of this is my fault."  
  
"But ..... how? My memories? I don't understand." Draco sat up slowly and accepted the drink Dumbledore handed him. This time it was only water.  
  
"From all accounts, it seems as if you had been possessed." Dumbledore said gently.  
  
The empty glass slipped from Draco's hand and hit the floor with a thunk. He didn't notice. "Possessed? You're fucking having me on, right? Possessions have been outlawed for centuries. All spirits know that."  
  
"Yes, but as you know, not everyone or everything follows the law."  
  
A horrifying thought occurred to the young man. "It, um, it wasn't Voldemort was it?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled softly. "No, I can assure you it wasn't. He is no longer an issue."  
  
Draco looked up. "Harry got him?"  
  
"Indeed. Harry got him rather effectively."  
  
A small smile broke on to Draco's face. "Cool. Um, my parents? Professor Snape?"  
  
"They are all fine. Your father and Severus both received the Order Of Merlin First Class for their work against Voldemort. As did, er, a couple of other people."  
  
"Good, they deserved it. They actually deserved it the first time around."  
  
"Yes, well things could not be helped then, everything has been set right."  
  
"Wonderful. Well, if I'm free to go, I'll just return to my dorm .......... " Draco trailed off. "I don't have a dorm, do I?"  
  
"Draco, please don't try and avoid this."  
  
Draco crossed his arms sulkily. "Well, I'm sorry. But I woke up this morning, hell, I don't even know if it *is* morning, and get told that the last five years of my life have been lived by someone else." He stood up and began pacing the room, giving his feet something to do other than tap on the ground.  
  
"Five years! I may as well have been in a coma for all that time, from what I know of it! Except of course for the fact that something was in here. In *my* body, doing god knows what, from what I've heard. Changing my hair, giving me scars. *Killing* people. Getting me executed! GETTING ME MARRIED!" Draco held his hand up, showing the ring to Dumbledore, who shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, you're only engaged." He said lightly.  
  
Draco shot an unamused look to the old wizard. "Oh, well, that just makes everything better." He spat sarcastically. "Who did I kill?"  
  
"Well, technically, you didn't kill anyone."  
  
"Well aware of that, thank you. Just answer it."  
  
"Samuel Matthews was the first victim. The one the killer would have known the name of. We don't think he bothered to find out the names of any of the others. But I could list them if you like?"  
  
"NO! I've changed my mind. I don't want to know. I don't want to hear any of it!"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Draco spun around to face him. "What do I want? I tell you what would be nice. For me to go to sleep right now and wake up, back in my dorm room. Back to being sixteen. Back to the life I know. The one I *remember*. The one I controlled!"  
  
"I'm sorry Draco, but that's not going to happen."  
  
Draco dropped back down on to the bed. "I know." He sat in thought for awhile. "I want to see my parents."  
  
"They have already been sent for. Your mother had declined to be at the execution so Lucius had taken her to your family home in Greece for awhile."  
  
Draco put his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands. "Okay." He didn't bother to lift it. "What happened with the whole possessed thing?"  
  
Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Very well. From what information we can get it took hold of you while you were sleeping, when everyone is most susceptible to such a thing. Due to your memories, it obviously happened just after Halloween in your sixth year. Do you agree?"  
  
Draco nodded, head still in his hands.  
  
"The first murder, was three years ago and there have been many since. You, er, that is, your body with the spirit inside, was caught red-handed, about to kill the next victim a little over two weeks ago. The Ministry wanted it sorted out quickly so your trial was held almost immediately. You were found guilty and put to death. Are you handling this?"  
  
Draco nodded again, even though he wasn't dealing with it very well at all.  
  
"Your execution date was set for today. It is supposed that the spirit, seeing no hope for this body, left to find another. The separation was witnessed which was how we were alerted to the fact."  
  
"That's why the Veritaserum? To see what I remembered? Just in case it was a set up?"  
  
"Exactly. However the witness also went under Veritaserum and stated that he saw a spirit drift out of your body and away. The Ministry are clearing your name and forming a public notice about it as we speak. Not even they would condemn you to death for something done when you weren't ........ there."  
  
"That clears up why it left, but it still leaves the question of why it ever came in the first place." Draco looked up. "Why me? Why possess me? For what reason?"  
  
"We don't know Draco. Perhaps it was like the ghosts at Hogwarts?"  
  
"What? Tired of existing but not living?"  
  
"Yes. They can't touch, or taste or feel. Perhaps it just wanted to experience that again."  
  
"But why kill? And why wait two years to start?"  
  
"We don't know. The spirit is no longer here, we can't question it, we can't find out anything of why."  
  
"What about the killings? Don't tell me about how it happened or whatever, but what about the people?"  
  
"The first was the most disturbing. It had been set up, as if killing Harry Potter."  
  
"What?" Draco frowned.  
  
"A young boy. Glasses, black hair. It had cut Harry's scar into his forehead."  
  
"Oh." A thought occurred to him. "Is Harry still alive?"  
  
Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah, the elusive Harry Potter, is still alive and kicking."  
  
"I just thought, you know, when he got Voldemort. There were always rumours of what would happen to him when they finally ended it all."  
  
"Yes, I heard many of them, myself. But Harry is still with us. He's an Auror now."  
  
Draco nodded and shifted to lie back on the bed. "I'm going to ignore the whole spirit thing for now. Tell me about me. About my life." He said quietly.  
  
"You live with your fiancee in London. You have a very spacious apartment there, you seemed quite happy." Dumbledore frowned. "Um, I suppose it would be easier to show you. Would you like to see it after you've seen your parents?"  
  
Draco nodded. "Yeah, I think that would be good. Who is it?"  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"Who am I engaged to?"  
  
There was a knock on the door and Dumbledore stood. "Enter."  
  
The door swung open and Draco leapt to his feet at the sight of his parents. Narcissa burst into tears and rushed over to hug him, which he returned just as strong.  
  
"I told them, it couldn't have been you. I told them, you wouldn't do such a thing. Oh my little angel, I'm so glad you're okay. I love you, I don't even want you to forget that, okay?"  
  
"Sure, mum. I know."  
  
Lucius laid a hand on Draco's shoulder, looking pleased. "Glad to see you're all right, son."  
  
"Thank you, father."  
  
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I'll, er, just be outside while you ..... I'll just be outside."  
  
Dumbledore patiently waited outside. He collected Draco things that had been confiscated and signed for them, not wanting to interrupt the little family gathering.  
  
With in the hour, Lucius and Narcissa came out, with the latter looking much better than Dumbledore had seen her all week. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Look after my little boy, won't you?"  
  
"Of course, Madame."  
  
Lucius and Dumbledore gave each other barely civil nods and Draco's parents walked off. Dumbledore returned inside and handed the box over to the young man.  
  
"Your things." He said simply.  
  
Draco opened it to find some clothes, a pair of boots and his wand.  
  
"I suppose they were going to snap my wand before they killed me?" Draco asked and the headmaster nodded.  
  
He slipped into the small side bathroom and had a quick shower, only to again stare at his reflection in amazement when he was done. Dumbledore had to break his thoughts from it.  
  
"Shall we go to your apartment?"  
  
"Very well. I would like to see how I have lived."  
  
"And I'm sure you're hungry."  
  
"Not really, no. Too tired and confused and angry."  
  
The two men walked to the grounds and Draco tried to ignore that fact that everyone was staring at him.  
  
Dumbledore pulled out his wand and then disappeared with a small pop. Draco rolled his eyes, crossed his arms and waited for him to return. Dumbledore reappeared after a minute or so.  
  
"Why didn't you follow?"  
  
"Er, Dumbledore? I don't know how to."  
  
Dumbledore closed his eyes as if mentally berating himself. "I'm very sorry Draco. I didn't mean to ..... "  
  
"That's okay! Let's just get there somehow."  
  
"I'll make us a portkey. Grab my arm."  
  
Draco grabbed his arm as Dumbledore bent down and picked up a small stone.  
  
"I'll set it for five seconds."  
  
Draco counted them in his head and on 'Five' he felt the familiar pull behind his navel.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	4. Part Three : Home Is Where ,,,,,,,,,

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none.  
  
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.  
  
Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Three. Home Is Where ..........  
  
"Wow, it's um, nice."  
  
"You always did have expensive taste." Dumbledore said, checking that he wasn't getting dirt on the carpet.  
  
Draco smiled as he looked around. "Blame my parents for that one."  
  
It was a very beautiful apartment and, evidently, obscenely expensive.  
  
Draco walked around slowly, trying to see himself sitting at the table, watching the Muggle television, looking out the window, anything. He came to the conclusion it was more likely that he sat on the counter, with his feet on the table, he mostly disliked television and he'd see no point to look out the window, watching life go by instead of actually being in it.  
  
He hopped up on the counter experimentally and swung his legs up to put his boots on the table.  
  
"Everyone hates it when you do that." Dumbledore walked to stand next to him.  
  
"Then they can go jump. My apartment, my rules."  
  
A faint smile appeared on the old man's face. "Are you sure, that you were possessed for all those years?"  
  
"I was like this?"  
  
"The similarities are astounding."  
  
"Them maybe Mister Evil Spirit was a better actor than we're giving him credit for."  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "Indeed. I never saw it. Right in front of me, and I never saw it."  
  
"You were probably too busy staring at my great arse." Draco said playfully.  
  
Dumbledore gave a slight frown. "I don't think that was it."  
  
"Oh, well. Your lost."  
  
Draco leant backwards and opened one of the kitchen drawers, dragging out an ashtray and a packet of cigarettes, lighting one up.  
  
Dumbledore tilted his head and studied the young man closely. "How did you know that?"  
  
"Huh?" Draco looked up and exhaled smoke in a steady stream.  
  
"How did you know those were there?"  
  
Draco looked at the cigarette in his hand, understanding dawning in his eyes. He looked to the drawer. "I, um, I don't know. I just thought that I'd really like a cigarette. So I leant over and got one. I didn't even know I smoked."  
  
"Hmmm, interesting."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Don't start that crap again. It was just a cigarette."  
  
"Perhaps. Or perhaps, when you were pushed far down, you saw things but don't remember yet?"  
  
Draco looked thoughtful for a second. "Has that ever happened before? With other possessions?"  
  
"I wouldn't know. I'll have someone look into it."  
  
A look of revulsion crossed Draco's face. "This doesn't mean I'll remember the murders does it?"  
  
"I'm afraid it might."  
  
"Oh great, just what I need." Draco hopped down from the counter. "As if my life wasn't fucked up enough already. Let's just give me a nice production of 'Silence of the Lambs'. Up close and very personal."  
  
"Draco? If you don't mind. I'll let myself out and give you time to get used to your surroundings."  
  
The blonde looked back. "Yeah, sure. You probably have stuff to do anyway. Knock yourself out."  
  
Dumbledore frowned. "Why would I want to do that?"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "You should watch more television."  
  
"You hate television."  
  
"Yeah, but it made a nice change from listening to Crabbe and Goyle. I did it all the time."  
  
"How on earth did you get a television to work at Hogwarts?"  
  
Draco smiled arrogantly. "Pity the Veritaserum wore off, huh?"  
  
Dumbledore gave a grunt of annoyance. "Indeed. Good day."  
  
"Bye." Draco said absently, wandering around his living room. His brain vaguely registered a faint popping sound as Dumbledore Disapparated. He idly flicked through the DVD collection and them moved on to the CDs.  
  
Nothing seemed familiar, but everything almost did. He knew for a fact the phantom must have been the one that picked out the carpet. It was the soft cream colour he liked so much. But it certainly didn't buy the curtains. While they were nice, they just weren't what he would have picked. "And that was how the damn thing had gone undetected." He announced to the room. "It had played me perfectly, not even alerting Dumbledore's suspicion."  
  
He gingerly sat down on the lounge, trying to get a solid feeling about anything. It was almost like a constant déjà vu, if he concentrated hard enough. Like something prickling in the back of his mind. "Fucking phantom, ghost, spirit, whatever the fuck you want to be called." He ran his fingers over the material of the couch. "What did you do to me? What did you make me do?"  
  
He stood up and walked to one of the doors. He opened it to find what looked like a studio. Either he still continued to paint, or his partner did. He walked in and looked around. Large bundles, of what was probably stacks of paintings, were lined up along the wall and covered up.  
  
He debated for a moment to look at them, but decided against it. Not wanting to see what his phantom might have drawn, considering the side interest it had pursued, in recent times.  
  
He returned to the living room and headed for the next door. A bedroom, probably the unused one, judging from the bare furniture. He went to the next door. A much larger bedroom. He walked in and opened the closet, almost feeling as if he was invading someone else's privacy.  
  
Clothes that could have been his, and clothes he'd rather cut his eyes out before wearing. He took out a rather loud shirt and looked it over.  
  
"God, I hope it's not mine." He muttered, hurriedly putting it back.  
  
He looked around, not really seeing much, still just trying to feel something. A large mirror hung on the wall above a chest of drawers and he wandered over to it. Bewildered by how similar but different he was. He brought his hand to the scars on his neck again.  
  
"Vampires."  
  
Draco jumped at the voice and turned his head to the left, his eyes falling on someone he knew he should recognise. He frowned slightly and the man gave a wince.  
  
It was the eyes that gave him away. "I'll be damned ..... and I nearly was. Harry Potter?"  
  
"Hello, Draco." Harry moved further into the room as Draco counted the differences.  
  
"You don't wear glasses anymore."  
  
Harry came to a stop about two metres away and sat on the foot of the large bed. "Er, no. I got contacts. I was sick of people always saying how much like my father I looked like."  
  
Draco gave a small smile. "I know the feeling."  
  
Harry let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I know. Oh, I mean, um, never mind."  
  
Draco let it go. "Do people still tell you? About your father and all?"  
  
"Yeah, except now, I look like him with green eyes and without glasses."  
  
Draco gave a soft laugh. "Um, how did you get in?"  
  
Harry frowned for a little while. "They didn't tell you, did they?" He said slowly.  
  
Draco sighed and looked back to his reflection. "They talked a lot, but didn't say much." He watched Harry in the mirror.  
  
"Oh, um, well ............ "  
  
Draco saw Harry's reflection look to something and he turned his head as well, to look at the other chest of drawers. Photos sat on it all the way down. Different places but the images in the foreground were all the same. Draco watched as the him in the pictures gently kissed Harry's picture self.  
  
"Oh." He said quietly. "I guess that explains it."  
  
"Yeah. I just came to get a few things. I hope you don't mind."  
  
"No." Draco said softly while shaking his head. "Go right ahead."  
  
"I'm er, going to be staying with Ron and Hermione. I'll be collecting the rest of my stuff later."  
  
Draco turned around to look at him properly. "Um, okay. I'm, I'm sorry. I didn't know and ...... "  
  
"No, that's okay. They were suppose to tell you before you came back. I guess they didn't know how to. I'll er, just get some things."  
  
Draco watched quietly as Harry summoned up a suitcase and started to throw some clothes into it. They all folded themselves neatly as he reached for the next item. Draco gave a sigh of relief as the shirt he had picked up before, went into it.  
  
"Thank god."  
  
"Huh?" Harry frowned.  
  
"I had worried whether that was mine." Draco pointed to the shirt on top of the pile.  
  
Harry chuckled. "You still hate that shirt, huh? Oh, sorry. I know it wasn't really you and all that, but. Oh, um, I'll just shut up now." Harry disappeared into the side bathroom and came out holding a toothbrush and a few other things. "Um, okay. We, er, you, don't have any pets. There's some leftover Mongolian Lamb in the freezer, just heat it up in the microwave, er you've been excused from work until everything is sorted out and you get back on track, um ..... "  
  
"Work?"  
  
"Didn't they tell you anything?" Harry frowned angrily. "Not even your parents?"  
  
"My parents mostly went on about how they knew I was innocent and that the Ministry had been unfair from the start. They didn't actually tell me much about me at all."  
  
"Oh, well you *were* an Auror with me and Hermione. Ron was our curse- breaker, and the four of us all worked together. But the Ministry has taken into account that you won't remember any of your training."  
  
"Auror groups need curse-breakers now?"  
  
"Yeah, people are getting more inventive." Harry closed up his suitcase. "Besides, it's not like the four of us, stuck to the rules much, what with our history and all." Harry smiled grimly. "Everyone's just going to be giving you space for awhile. Oh, and you should get some rest."  
  
"What? I haven't missed enough life already?" Draco said playfully. He stopped smiling when he saw the hurt look on the other man's face.  
  
"I'll just be going. The list of numbers are written next to the phone, um, you remember how to work that don't you?" Draco rolled his eyes and Harry nodded. "Okay, well if you need anything, that's the quick way. We still use owls of course. I've got Hedwig with me. Oh, our neighbours are quite nice, your quite fond of Mrs Starler, she's an elderly widowed Muggle that lives to the left of us. Or at least you seemed to like her. Um, sorry. That's all I can think of right now, but if you have any questions just give me a call."  
  
"Okay." Draco walked Harry to the door.  
  
"Bye." Harry said sadly.  
  
"Yeah, um, bye." Draco tossed up whether or not he was suppose to shake his hand, or kiss him on the cheek or what. But Harry left and that pretty much settled that.  
  
Draco returned to the bedroom, kicked off his boots and took out what he supposed were his pyjama bottoms. He quickly changed and hopped into the bed. His mind itched, telling him that the bed was empty. He stretched his hand out, not feeling a warm smooth body.  
  
It felt completely wrong.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	5. Part Four : Hide Or Play?

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none really, though our good friend 'Killer' is back!  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Four. Hide Or Play?  
  
How could he? It was so cruel, so hurtful. To betray him like that? To rip it all away. It wasn't fair. After everything he'd done, to have it all go so horribly wrong. It just wasn't fair. Surely even monsters deserve peace? Why were they withholding it from him? Why couldn't they just have left it all alone? They had interfered where they weren't so suppose to and ruined everything.  
  
Mortel shifted uncomfortably. He was not pleased. All his hard work, useless. He'd have to start it all over again. But not so soon, he'd have to wait. Wait until they stopped looking so hard. Wait until no-one would suspect. He couldn't afford to try again so soon, not with Draco just being released.  
  
It would look suspicious.  
  
But he wanted to. He watched as the small girl played in her room. She couldn't see him through the window. He'd made sure of that. He'd seen her a few weeks ago and had instantly known she had to be his. He leant towards the glass and tapped the wand on it. The little block house she had been making, fell to the floor. Mortel laughed coldly at her sad expression and revelled in the sight of her tears.  
  
He wanted to touch, to taste, to own. God, how he wanted to. But he couldn't he reminded himself. Not if he wanted to stay out of his hunters' way. They'd be looking. They'd be careful this time. After all the mess with Draco.  
  
He scowled. Only he knew the whole truth, the real truth. He knew what Harry had done. He had made it so Draco survived another day. Had told them about the details of possession. Mortel was angry that his hard work was all in tatters. He had strived so hard to get so far and Harry had turned around and ruined it all.  
  
Harry had been the one to hand Draco over to the Ministry. And then, at the last moment, when it was almost assured Draco would pay the price, and even Mortel had believed it, Harry had been the one to snatch him back. Mere hours before the execution. Mortel was still fuming. Because of Harry he had to change everything, and now he had to wait. But he didn't want to.  
  
He wanted to hold the little girl that he was watching. Hold her as she screamed. Wanted to feel the blood tickle down over his tongue. Feel the peace wash over him again. Stop the emotions in his head. Stop the chaos.  
  
But Harry had made the chaos worse with his ways.  
  
Had made everything worse, and now forced him to wait anyway. It wasn't good. Mortel snarled at the irony. The time when he needed this the most, but it was far too dangerous.  
  
How?  
  
The question jumped around his mind. How is it too dangerous? Mortel tried to shake it away. He knew he shouldn't listen to it.  
  
But .....  
  
Maybe everything would be better if he acted now. Maybe he could, if he changed his plans just slightly. It could still work. And he would be able to think properly.  
  
But no.  
  
At least, not this little girl. He'd have to find someone else. And maybe he could. London was a large place. It didn't have to really be anyone in particular. Or maybe it could be.  
  
Maybe he'd already met the perfect person ......  
  
Mortel took one last look at the small girl and hopped down out of the tree. He thought it all out carefully as he walked. He could go pay and old friend a visit. But it would be dangerous. It would take him very close to Draco, and he knew he really should avoid the blonde man that he'd come to know so well over the last few years. Had to stay away from him.  
  
At least for the time being.  
  
Perhaps, later on, he could pay Draco a nice visit. Clear up a few loose ends, as it were. Fix the blonde right good and proper. Both of them.  
  
Draco and Harry.  
  
Both their faults that Mortel was in pain now. If only they had left it well alone. But no. And now Draco had no memory and Harry had no morals.  
  
Possession. The word bounced around Mortel's head and he sneered. He had been sure the Ministry would have executed anyone, even if they had known of a possession. To make it look good in the eyes of the public. That they had caught a murderer. But no. The blonde man walked around still. After all that Mortel had done to stay free.  
  
And now they'd look for him again. They'd know he was still out there. They'd assume he get himself a new body. Mortel snorted. He didn't need to, he already had a fine body, why should he give it up for another?  
  
They were looking for him in all the wrong places.  
  
That could be an advantage for him. That would keep him safe. For now. Until they discovered the truth. Until they scratched a little deeper on both Draco and Harry. Until they saw what both men kept in their deepest thoughts. The ones you have to dig for.  
  
But for now, it might help conceal him. He nodded to himself and stared up at the large building.  
  
Silently he let himself glide up to the right balcony and looked in on the old lady. The door opened noiselessly and he slipped in. She was reading something. She was weak. He wouldn't need to use all his spells this time. Just the silencing one.  
  
He wanted this one to see him. To hear him.  
  
So she would know who it was who had slipped through their fingers. He raised the wand. "Silencio." He hissed out. Orange light shot to her throat as she turned her head at the noise. He smiled cruelly as she tried to call out, part surprise, part recognition. Swishing the wand again, the nails levitated themselves out of the bag he carried.  
  
Slowly, her eyes widened in a basic understanding and she tried to scream, to call for someone.  
  
He shook his head and stepped closer. He grabbed her frail arm and felt the wrist snap under his grip. Her face contorted in pain.  
  
"You should be more careful, with who you keep company with." He whispered into her ear as she struggled weakly. "You never know who will take advantage of your kindness." She tried to pull away but he walked her backwards, into the wall, making sure that no-one would hear anything and come interrupt. "Do you know who I am?"  
  
She nodded her eyes showing her terror, as he placed her hand out, away from her body, with the back of it pressed into the wall.  
  
"I am the one you hear whispers of. Even in your world, I am feared. I am the one who needs your blood to feel the peace. The one who will come in the night, to judge you. I have judged you. You are far too gentle to live in a world of such brutality. You do not belong. I shall rectify that and gain from it greatly. For the peace I will feel from killing you, I thank you. Even in death you will help others. Don't close your eyes Mrs Starler. You'll miss the show." He laughed coldly.  
  
The bag, with his instruments, hovered closer and he opened it fully, allowing her to see the entire contents. To see what was in store for her.  
  
He gently licked the tear that fell down her face. Or maybe it was sweat, he didn't care.  
  
"You shall make me feel so much better." He whispered soothingly.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	6. Part Five : So Now What?

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Blood & Nails.  
  
.  
  
Part Five. So Now What?  
  
Draco awoke and sat up slowly, staring around the room that was his. Or so people kept telling him. He'd had a disturbing dream. It had chilled him and worried him, leaving him with that sharp taste of fear in his mouth. But now he couldn't remember it.  
  
"Add that to the fucking list, shall I?" He scowled at the blanket.  
  
Except blood. He remembered the blood. He had dreamt of it, dripping down, drying on his hands. He'd almost been able to smell it, to taste it. But that was all he could recall about his dream.  
  
He was starting to fully realise that having no memories, would be a blessing in disguise. He sat up and reached for his cigarettes. "Well. What do I do now?" He exhaled a steady stream of smoke. He reached for the piece of cardboard that had the sheet of phone numbers glued to it. He slowly read the list, learning the numbers one by one.  
  
His parents, every single Weasley on the earth from the looks out it, even some he'd never heard of. At least, not that he could remember. Dumbledore.  
  
Snape.  
  
"Why the fuck not?" He told himself, putting out his, now finished, cigarette and picked up the receiver. Before it rang it occurred to him he didn't even know what month it was, therefore classes could be in session. It was answered on the third ring anyway.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Sir? Um .... "  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Yeah." He said, grateful that Snape still knew his voice.  
  
"Is something the matter?"  
  
"Um, no, not really. Well, yes, but no. Er, did that make sense?"  
  
"Not really but considering the circumstances, I'll let it pass."  
  
"Thanks, um ...... " Draco trailed off.  
  
"Was there something you wanted?"  
  
"I just, I was just wondering, I mean, I know you're not my head of house anymore, but you still are, sort of. To me anyway."  
  
"Is there something you wanted to discuss?"  
  
Draco was relieved to hear that Snape seemed willing to let him get it out of his system. His teacher, ex teacher, had taken on the tone that meant he was prepared to sit back and let Draco rant for awhile.  
  
"If you don't mind?"  
  
"Over the phone or would you like to come here? It's the summer break, but I stayed behind at Hogwarts to take care of a few things."  
  
Draco considered it quickly, in it's simplest form. Over the phone meant sitting there, playing with the blanket. Being there meant pacing Snape's floor and drinking his scotch. "I'll get there as soon as I work out how to."  
  
"Very well." Snape knew not to offer assistance when Draco got into his 'I'm just fine, fuck off' mood.  
  
They both hung up. Draco looked around the room wondering how on earth he was going to do this. Seeing no other option he picked up the phone again and dialled the number next to Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.  
  
"Hello." A distinctly female voice.  
  
"Gra .... er, Hermione?"  
  
"Draco? Hi, um, how are you?"  
  
"Er, I'm getting there. I was calling because I needed some help."  
  
"Do you want me to get Harry?"  
  
"No, I'm sure you can help."  
  
"Sure, what's wrong?"  
  
"I, er, I need to know how to make a portkey. I don't know how to Apparate, so I thought I'd do this instead."  
  
"Oh, okay, I can help with that, where do you want to go?"  
  
Hermione talked him through it step by step and then told him how to do the identification spell, so he knew it was set to send him to the main gates of Hogwarts. He thanked her and hung up, tolerating her ramblings of how she hoped he would get better soon.  
  
"I'm not sick." He muttered to his wardrobe as he opened it up. "I'm just ..... misplaced? Dislocated? Something like that." He sighed. "I'm also talking to myself. I should really stop doing that one day."  
  
He dragged on some clothes and walked over to the bed looking at his watch as it lay there, the thing he had chosen to make the portkey out of. He leant over and quickly grasped it. He landed just outside the gates.  
  
Snape must have had a word to the main doors because they opened obediently as he walked up to them. He slowly walked towards the dungeons looking around to see if anything had changed since two days ago. Two days for him anyway. A few of the portraits had changed position and one was missing completely but that was it. He knocked firmly on the door and in a few moments it was opened by Snape, in Muggle clothing.  
  
His clothes were not what surprised Draco. He'd seen Snape in casual clothes a hundred times while he was growing up. It was the long scar running from the middle of the forehead down to the jaw bone on the left side of his face. He couldn't take his eyes off it.  
  
After almost three minutes of just staring at it, his brain reminded him he was being rude. He blinked slowly and registered that Snape had already stood to the side and was waiting for him to enter. "Sorry." He muttered and walked in.  
  
"That's quite all right, I remember the look you gave me when you first saw it. Of course, it was still bleeding badly then. Oh, that wasn't you, yes, quite." Snape shifted uncomfortably, not meeting Draco's eyes.  
  
"Okay. That's it! From now on, we're just going to pretend it was me. Let's leave the whole spirit possession phantom thing completely alone, and just pretend I have amnesia." Draco picked up the glass of scotch that he assumed was his and downed it all at once. "It'll be much simpler that one. Besides, from what I've seen, everything it did, bar the murders, would have been what I did." He poured himself another glass and took a seat near the table where the bottle sat. "Except for maybe one other thing too."  
  
"Ah, I assume you're speaking of the elusive Mister Harry Potter?"  
  
"Why does everyone keep calling him elusive?"  
  
"Oh, forgive me. It was a standing joke between everyone and the two of you, er him and , no wait we agreed to say it was you didn't we?"  
  
"Yes, we did." Draco took another long drink.  
  
"He had this habit of only leaving your apartment when you did. And because everyone was always wanting the both of you to come to banquets and the such everyone started saying it was odd. You always put your foot down and refused to go and let them suck up to you and Harry wouldn't go without you."  
  
"So, I was a snob and he was elusive?" Draco smiled.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"I'm surprised they weren't saying I was tying him to the couch or something, keeping him out of the spotlight he so desperately wanted." Draco snorted sarcastically. He might not have known the last five years of the world, but he doubted whether Harry liked the limelight anymore than he had back then.  
  
"Well, they did at first, until Harry told them to fuck off. That was quite an interesting press conference. Very colourful."  
  
Draco smiled at the image. Harry had always been animated, when he lost his temper over something. "Sorry I missed it." He fished his glass and held it out to be refilled. "But that's just the thing. Yesterday was so messed up and he left in such a hurry. I don't blame him for it, but it kind of left a lot of things hanging for me."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Do you know when we first started, well, seeing each other?"  
  
"The First of January, 1997 was when you first, er, realised your mutual fascination with each other. Just. I believe you said it was about four minutes into the new year."  
  
"I told you?"  
  
"Indeed. It's also when you celebrate your anniversary. You were suppose to get married on your next one."  
  
"What month is it?"  
  
"January. I said that didn't I?"  
  
"No. I meant now. What month is it? What's the date?"  
  
"Oh. It's the Fifth of July. Er, 2001."  
  
Draco stared at the dark liquid in his glass then suddenly snorted. "Pity I'm not American. I was released on Independence Day. Would have been very fitting."  
  
"Indeed. So, how are you holding up?"  
  
"Um, not too bad, I guess."  
  
"Oh, of course. That's why you're here, drinking all my scotch and scratching up the arm of my chair." Snape said, not pushing too hard.  
  
Draco looked to his left hand which was opening and closing, his nails wearing out the material. He'd always done that when something was bothering him, and from the looks of it, the wear patch had gotten bigger from what he remembered. "Sorry, but, as you can imagine, I'm kind of messed up right now."  
  
"I don't believe for a second that I could understand what you're going through."  
  
"I hope you never have to." Draco said quietly.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Both men finished their drinks and glasses were refilled. Draco was starting to feel it seep into his system, slightly taking off the edge.  
  
"It's like I've gone forward in time but not quite. I have an apartment I don't remember, but it mostly feels right. There's like this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. Like I should know it but the thoughts just won't come. That's why it's so nice to be here. Not much has changed and I feel as if I fit in." He spoke slowly, not wanting to rush to much and confuse the older man even more than necessary.  
  
"I never was a big fan of change."  
  
Draco smiled and looked up. "Your face? Um, if you don't want to tell me that's okay." He rushed that sentence though.  
  
"My cover as a spy was mostly blown. Voldemort suspected me of many things and cut my face open, pouring a Chain Reaction potion into the wound and packed me off to Hogwarts, unconscious. I was not in the good books there either after ...... certain incidents. He, Voldemort that is, just assumed that they would heal me and that would take care of that. So when it was discovered I was still loyal to the Order, they would feel guilt over my death."  
  
Draco took this in gradually. Even without a full education, he was well aware of what casting a spell, any spell, on a Chain Reaction potion would do. It was like lighting up gunpowder. Many dark wizards used it as a form of a bomb. "They didn't heal you?" He said gently.  
  
"I managed to wake up and Apparate to someone who could help, before I was discovered at the Gates. That's why it scarred, it had to be healed the Muggle way."  
  
"But there are ways to remove scars?"  
  
"I think of it as a reminder. "Snape smiled sadistically. "It also has helped further terrify brainless first years."  
  
Draco grinned. "Ah, now that sounds like the man I remember."  
  
"Indeed. It's also very effective on Dumbledore. Guilt for not trusting in me and all that."  
  
Draco laughed and finished his drink. His last for the day. "What am I going to do?"  
  
"The 16 year old Draco I knew, wouldn't just sit there forlornly. He'd get up and do something."  
  
"I want to, but what? Everything is just so overwhelming."  
  
"Perhaps if you started smaller, and worked your way up to the big things."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
Draco's mind raced and then he looked up, catching on and smiled. "I think instead of worrying about my impending marriage, I should at least graduate first."  
  
"Excellent idea, Mister Malfoy."  
  
They clinked their empty glasses as a mock toast.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	7. Part Six : From The Top

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none.  
  
.  
  
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.  
  
Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Six. From The Top.  
  
Draco and Snape were just about to leave when a small, hairy creature launched itself at Draco from where it had been sleeping, on the mantle over the fireplace. Draco just managed to grab it before it latched it's claws into his skin and looked at what was obviously a black cat. It had peculiar grey eyes, and they vaguely reminded him of his own.  
  
"Er, sir? What the hell is this?"  
  
"That's Steel. He was a gift for my birthday, two years ago."  
  
"What idiot on this earth would buy you a cat?"  
  
Snape smiled. "You." He walked out leaving the door open for Draco to close and lock.  
  
"Damn." Draco whispered. The cat purred, obviously recognising his voice.  
  
"Bring him, will you? He likes to play with Fang." Snape's voice called back.  
  
Draco raced to catch up. "I can't believe I bought you a cat." He placed said cat on the ground so it could walk along with them. "I can't believe you didn't drown him!"  
  
"I tried. You and Harry charmed him against such actions."  
  
Draco recognised the humour behind the words and smiled. "I still can't believe the phantom thought I'd ever buy you a cat."  
  
"Not everything has remained the same. Why didn't you go back with your parents? I would have thought, what with your disorientation, you would stay with them until you were back on your feet."  
  
"Don't get me wrong, I love them, I really do. But I'd go nuts. All they kept saying was how unfair the Ministry had been over the whole matter. Over and over again. I had to beg them to leave by claiming to need more rest."  
  
"Well, they were a little insulted at the idea of you being a mass murderer. But you know your parents."  
  
"Yeah, don't remind me."  
  
Steel left down the corridor as the Gargoyle moved aside. Dumbledore must have been expecting them.  
  
"Damn Dumbledore." Draco muttered as he walked up the stairs. "I wish he wasn't so right all the time."  
  
"Indeed. It gets annoying after awhile."  
  
Dumbledore greeted them warmly and the three men sat. "Now, Draco. First off, it's a pleasure to see you again. I trust you had a good night's sleep, back in your, er, well, *a* bed."  
  
"No, actually, I didn't." Draco said, his hand starting to scratch up the arm of the chair he sat in. Remembering the blood in his dream.  
  
"Oh. I'm very sorry."  
  
"Thank you. Now, I'm sure you know why I'm here."  
  
"Ah yes. You wish to finish your studies. Get back on track as it were, marvellous. I think it's a splendid idea."  
  
"Thank you. Can it be done?"  
  
"Oh, of course, of course. I've already taken care of most of the details. You don't even have to stay here. Study at home and just come in once a week for the practical work. Does that sound good?"  
  
"One day of school a week? Why couldn't we have done that from the start?" Draco smiled.  
  
Dumbledore returned the smile and handed over a few forms, apologising but saying they were necessary. And Draco spent the next four hours reading, signing and bitching about the Ministry for himself.  
  
----------  
  
"In principle, it's simple. Go back to what I know." Draco said, the phone wedged between his shoulder and ear as he rummaged through a box. "And what I know is how to be a student. Well I know how to be a spy too, but that's not needed anymore, thankfully."  
  
"So you're going to do the N.E.W.T.s and all that? Finish your basic education?" Hermione said through the line. "And then see where you go from there?"  
  
"Exactly, which is why I need all my old stuff."  
  
"Well neither you nor Harry ever threw *anything* out as far as I know. So everything should be there somewhere."  
  
Professor Snape had taken Draco to a storage warehouse, similar to the idea of Gringott's, where his phantom self had kept all his old things after moving in with Harry and the blonde was currently going through everything. After about an hour of that, he had asked to use the company's phone, in hopes that Hermione or Harry would have more luck in knowing what to look for. Or at least a good locating spell.  
  
"Any ideas, Hermione?  
  
"Okay, when we were packing everything up, you put me in charge of the books so they wouldn't get too damaged. I grouped all the school things together in a large, blue box. Can you see one?"  
  
Draco looked around. "Um, there's about six of them."  
  
"Look for one marked 'Primary Academic Readings'."  
  
Draco stopped what he was doing and took the phone away from his ear for a second so he could give it a incredulous look. "Jesus. Couldn't you have just put 'School Books'?"  
  
Hermione's soft laughter reached his ears. "That's exactly what you said at the time. ...... Oh sorry, um ...... "  
  
Draco returned the phone to his ear and cut in. "Hermione? Remember? I only have amnesia." He stressed the last sentence.  
  
"I don't think that's a very good way to look at it."  
  
"No. But it is the easiest, and I need that right now."  
  
"Very well, I'll try and remember that it was you, but not you, but you, for your sake."  
  
"Um, thanks er, *we* all appreciate it."  
  
She laughed again at his tone. "Have you found the box yet?"  
  
Draco was, at that moment, balanced on one foot, leaning on a box, trying to see around another box, to read the label of yet another box. "I have too much junk, I'm throwing it all out." He complained, knowing that he wouldn't. The phantom had correctly summarised that he never got rid of anything. "Um, yeah, I think this is it. Primary ..... Yeah this is it."  
  
"Okay, good, now that should hold everything, your texts, your assignments, your notes from class, and personal research, everything."  
  
"That's great. How do I unearth it?"  
  
"Unearth it?"  
  
"Yeah, it's under like five others."  
  
"Oh, well you could do a switching spell."  
  
"Yes, I could." Draco dragged out the pause and then smiled. "You want to tell me how?"  
  
"Oh, sorry, sorry. Okay first you have to select the box you want."  
  
Ten minutes later, he finally got it right without causing a landslide that he had to keep freezing and straightening out.  
  
"Great. Now, how the hell do I get it home?"  
  
"Shrinking charm. It's only temporary, but it'll last long enough."  
  
He'd only just put it down in the cleared space in the living room of his apartment, when it gave a tremor. The first sign it was about to get bigger. He backed off as the box expanded back to it's original size. It was almost as tall as he was and it was about twice his width. He was about to open it when a knock came at the door. He opened it to hear the last of what an older Hermione was saying to an older Ron as Harry, who he'd already seen, hovered in the background.  
  
" .....know that wasn't him. Oh, hi Draco." She said brightly.  
  
Draco nodded to them. "Hey, er, what are you all doing here?"  
  
Hermione smiled wider. "We came to help with your school material. I remember quite clearly that there was a lot of it. And you've been through so much already, in the last couple of days. It won't be too bad, it's all in order and everything, just getting it out of the box, resorting it, and finding somewhere to put it all. You've got seven years worth of things to go through."  
  
Draco's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You came to check I didn't get it all out of order, didn't you?"  
  
Hermione took on a haughty look. "Listen, buster. I spent four long and painful weeks sorting all that out into a decent, organised system. You're damn right I'm making sure you don't mess it up." She walked over to the box and Ron followed her, keeping a lot of distance between himself and the blonde.  
  
"Sorry." Harry had come to stand next to him. "We couldn't talk her out of it. She insisted we come over and handle your papers as if they were fine china."  
  
"That's okay." Draco looked to where Hermione was directing Ron as the redhead carried things to different parts of the floor. "I got rather lonely last night. I'm sure you'll make good company."  
  
"I don't think Ron will." Harry muttered so the other two couldn't hear them.  
  
Draco frowned. "Why not? I would have thought we could at least tolerate each other by now."  
  
"You could ..... and did! Until ...... " Harry trailed off and looked away.  
  
"Until what?"  
  
Harry smiled grimly. "Until he had a run in with Mortel."  
  
The other two must have heard what he said, because they both froze and looked over.  
  
"Who's Mortel?"  
  
Ron cleared his throat. "He attacked me. I don't remember much of it but I do remember having to spend six days at St Mungos to heal the artery in my neck."  
  
"He cut you?" Draco looked from one to the other with all three of them, feeling the change of mood.  
  
"Er, Ko, um, I mean, Draco? Until two evenings ago, everyone firmly believed *you* were Mortel, so Ron's a little jumpy." Draco frowned harder in confusion, so Harry clarified. "Mortel is what the serial killer called himself."  
  
"Oh." Draco looked to Ron, who did still seem a little skittish when under the blonde's gaze. "Right. Sorry, still a little new at all this." Ron actually took a step back when Draco looked at his throat. He ignored the thought that told him that had been a stupid thing to say.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	8. Part Seven : Best Laid Plans

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Blood & Nails.  
  
.  
  
Part Seven. Best Laid Plans.  
  
Draco threw his jacket on to the counter as he returned home from a day of practical lessons at Hogwarts. It had been two weeks since he'd woken up with no memory of the last five years and he was slowly starting to get his life in order.  
  
He was of course, still very pissed off with Mortel or whoever had been in charge during those years, but he couldn't do much about that now.  
  
He debated about calling Hermione about a small problem he'd had in Arithmancy class, but he wasn't too sure if that was a good idea. She had given him an odd look when she had come to drop off some of his work he'd asked her to check over before he handed it in. He had no idea what it had been about either as she had barely muttered a greeting and then left after shoving the papers into his hands.  
  
"Well," He announced to his floor. "I've got nothing else to do."  
  
Someone picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello? Granger and Weasley's House of Pain ... in the Necks." Came the sleepy voice.  
  
"Er, Harry?"  
  
"Oh, um, hi Draco. Er, no-one else is home, if it's Hermione you're looking for."  
  
"Oh."  
  
A long, uncomfortable pause.  
  
"How have you been? Are you settling in, okay?" Harry's voice sounded strange.  
  
"Yes, thank you, I'm getting along."  
  
Another pause.  
  
Draco cleared his throat. "Well, um I guess I'd better go."  
  
"Yeah." That word was without any feeling at all.  
  
"I'll, er, probably see you around."  
  
"Yeah, okay, bye."  
  
"Bye." Draco said softly and then hung up the phone. He sighed at his own stupidity and then glared at his carpet. "I know it's not his fault. But it's ...... odd. I mean, he ...... and I've ........ we ...... and .... argh! I'm buying a cat, just so I have an excuse to talk when no-one's here." He stormed out.  
  
True to his word, when he returned to his apartment half and hour later he indeed had a cat, a very nice looking black cat with grey eyes, in fact. Professor Snape had been very understanding, saying that Steel needed a longer break away form the students anyway. Draco placed him on the table in one of the places and sat down, looking at Steel. "I still feel stupid." Shrugging, he decided that nobody had to know. "Okay. So it's the problem with Harry."  
  
Steel sat there quietly as Draco tried to forget that he had done something similar to this before to help him cope with being a spy. But that had involved a different cat. At the time he had thought it might have been Hermione's as it had looked familiar, and not like a stray. He hadn't known it's real name so he'd called it Scratch and the cat hadn't seemed to mind much. It turned up every night Draco went to the Astronomy Tower, calmly sitting there and listening to him rant.  
  
"Okay, so there's Harry and I'm really not too sure what's going on." Draco put his elbow on the table and leant his head on his hand, bringing him closer to Steel as grey eyes met identical grey eyes. "I was crazy about him in school, which was a silly thing for me to do in the first place. And then came along Mortel or whatever the hell he wants to be called. He took over my body for reasons unknown and just ...... just ..... started living my life! And I woke up one day to find out that people were dead and I was engaged."  
  
Draco looked over to the kitchen drawer where he had put the ring and sighed. "Engaged to Harry. Now, I know what you're thinking, you're wondering 'Why is this bad?' right? Well it sort of is. You see, I, as in the real me, wouldn't have done anything like that, or even go near him. Well, I might have, if Voldemort hadn't been a problem, but he was, so Mortel had no right to risk it like that. And, I don't remember why or how or ..... "  
  
Draco trailed off and blushed. "I would be a fool to think that we hadn't, well, you know." He leant even closer. "Sex and all that. And that kind of really pisses me off. My body, Harry's body, and I didn't even get to be there." He scowled. "Life's a kick in the head, that's for sure. But anyway, there's also the last problem. Well, the last *big* problem anyway." He sighed. "When Harry looks at me, I can see it hurts him that I don't remember. I can see that he's wondering if the real me would want him. Don't get me wrong, I do. I still want him more than anything but .......... "  
  
He trailed off again and stared sadly at Steel. "But what if he only wants the Draco he knew? I keep thinking that if I tried anything with him, this me wouldn't live up to it. Wouldn't be enough. Oh, I don't know. I guess I worry too much. But it's in my nature to overanalyse things like this. I just get so paranoid. What do you think?"  
  
Steel remained sitting there quietly, as Draco thought over everything he had said. But the phone rang, making him jump slightly.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Good evening. I was wondering if I could speak with Mister Draco Malfoy?"  
  
"Speaking."  
  
"Good evening, sir. This is Marco from Pacino's. I was calling to check on the reservations."  
  
Draco looked at the silent but curious Steel. "Er, reservations?"  
  
"Yes. You have dinner booked for two on the thirty first of July."  
  
"I do?"  
  
The voice on the other end started to sound worried. "You didn't arrange for a small birthday celebration?"  
  
"Whose birthday?"  
  
"Mister Harry Potter's. Sir, if there has been some mistake please allow me to apologise and .... "  
  
Draco's brain had finally kicked in at Harry's name and he interrupted. "Oh, I see. No I understand now. Um, yes I remember that now." He lied through his teeth, wondering what else his phantom friend had arranged. "I'm very sorry, I've been working far too hard and it completely slipped my mind."  
  
"Then you shall be attending?"  
  
"Yes, yes of course." Draco said absently as he scratched Steel under the chin.  
  
"Excellent sir. You're booking is still set for Eight."  
  
"Yes, thank you very much."  
  
It only occurred to Draco as he hung up the phone, that he had no idea why he had agreed. Seeing nothing else that could be done, he pressed re-dial and waited.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Um, hi Harry."  
  
"Oh, hello again."  
  
Draco took one more look at Steel and nodded, as if the cat was saying something with his purring. "Look, here's the thing. The previous occupant of this body seems to have made a booking for a birthday dinner at some place called Pacino's. For *your* birthday, that is."  
  
"Oh, I see. You won't be able to get you're deposit back."  
  
"Won't I?" He hadn't even thought about the money. "Anyway, that doesn't matter. I was wondering if you still wanted to go?" He held his breath.  
  
"With you?"  
  
"No, with the Queen. Of course with me! I thought, we could, you know, talk and sort out a few things." He glared at Steel as he stretched slightly, making it look suspiciously like he was laughing. "Aren't there things you wanted straighten out? I just thought, seeing as I like Italian food, and I'm guessing you do to, we could have dinner. You could tell me about me, and all that stuff."  
  
"Um, well, okay. I don't see any harm in it." Harry still didn't sound very thrilled.  
  
"Great well. I'll meet you there, it's at Eight."  
  
"Okay. I'll see you then. Bye."  
  
"Yeah, bye." Draco hung up the phone and tried to slow down his heart that was beating at an alarming rate. "Christ!" He announced to Steel. "That was terrifying. I don't know how normal people do this whole, invite others to dinner thing? I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my life? And that's including the time I had to pass the mind scan in order to get my Dark Mark. That was easy compared to this." He smiled. "Now that's one thing I really don't miss about my Pre-Phantom life." He put on a look of arrogance. "It clashed with my lovely pale skin."  
  
He straightened out some of Steel's fur as he checked the clock. "Okay, I have seventy four hours to get ready. That should be enough, if I could just stop this really weird happy feeling from making me want to burst out into song."  
  
He stood up and headed for the bedroom, deciding to have a shower and then do all his week's school work that night so he would have to worry about it later.  
  
Steel lay down, placing his head on his front paws and curled his tail around his body. And waited.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	9. Part Eight : Two For Tea

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none. Boaderline mushy.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Eight. Two For Tea.  
  
The first part of dinner had passed in relative silence. Draco had no idea as to what he should say and from the looks of it neither did Harry. Draco had never been one to tolerate uncomfortable silences. He snapped when the dessert was served.  
  
"So Harry? I'm sure you're familiar with my idea of pretending the last few years were actually mine? Aside of the whole messy business of the killings."  
  
Harry's eyes had looked away at the mention but he carried on. "Yes. Hermione rants on and on about how it's not healthy."  
  
Draco smiled. "I'll bet she does. So. Tell me about me."  
  
The dark haired boy frowned. "Um, well, I'm sure you know, that the spirit or whatever was very good at emulating you. I spoke to Dumbledore just this morning and he believes that it had full access to your memories, even the ones you couldn't get to. Which was how it managed to evaluate how you would react in certain situations."  
  
"Yeah. Not very fair huh? It gets mine, but I don't get it's. Then again ..... " Draco trailed off, remembering how he'd frequently dreamed of blood. Or that cold wet feeling washing over him. He didn't understand that one but assumed it had something to do with his body being taken over.  
  
"Well. You wanted to talk about you? You're still a little spoiled, though fighting Voldemort seemed to have forced you to grow up."  
  
"It forced us all to do that."  
  
"Very true. You smoke, you drink and you hate people sucking up to you. You state your opinion when asked and always try to have a good time. Your good at your job and actually enjoy bringing in the bad guys." Harry smiled. "Your a little too arrogant for your own good, you get yourself into trouble constantly."  
  
"Oh, and I bet you're just the opposite huh?" Draco said sarcastically.  
  
"Actually, our friends and family held a poll once. Trying to work out who was a worse influence on who. It fell to Hermione to cast the deciding vote and she said we were both as bad as each other. She said you would have made a wonderful Gryffindor."  
  
Draco sat up straighter. "Well really. I'm sure I was at least civil to her these years. I'll bet I didn't do anything to her that would warrant such abuse."  
  
Harry laughed softly. "If I didn't know better, I could have sworn there was no spirit at all." The smile faded and he refused to meet Draco's eyes. "I guess you haven't changed much over the years. Hardly at all."  
  
Silence threatened to consume them again so Draco decided to change the topic. "As fascinating as the subject of me is, perhaps we should talk about something else?"  
  
Harry forced a smile onto his face and nodded agreeably. "Like what? Whatever you want to know, I'll help as much as I can."  
  
"Tell me about us."  
  
Harry looked up, startled. "What?"  
  
Draco continued calmly, hoping he wasn't pushing too hard or too soon. "I would like to hear about us. If it doesn't bother you that is."  
  
Harry shifted in his chair. "Why should it?"  
  
"Doesn't it hurt for you to see me like this? Without remembering anything about you?"  
  
"Not really. Well, maybe a little."  
  
"Harry." Draco said gently. "You're still wearing your ring."  
  
Harry looked to the ring on his finger. "All right then, it hurts a lot." His was identical to the one Draco had discovered on his own hand the day he had woken up. "I see you're not." The boy said softly.  
  
"No. I'm not. It was ...... scaring me. I kept looking at it and telling myself that I was engaged." Draco titled his head, looking at his bare hand. "But I couldn't even remember receiving it. I couldn't remember what you had said, if anything, when you gave it to me. I assume you gave it to me."  
  
Harry nodded. "We went out and spent the entire morning bickering about what kind to buy. Then we found these. Finally something we agreed on." He smiled at the memory.  
  
It only made Draco more bitter. "So, do you mind talking about us? I'll understand if you don't want to."  
  
Harry shook his head. "You were going to ask one day. I don't suppose it matters when. Anything you particularly want to know right away?"  
  
Draco nodded. "How did we start out? What happened? I mean why ...... how. That's the important one for me."  
  
Harry leant back in his chair getting comfortable. "December 31st, 1996, nearly midnight. We ran into each other while we were walking the halls after dark. Literally. You walked into me while I was in my invisibility cloak. We said a few words, none of them very pleasant, and then went our separate ways. Well, you went your way and I followed."  
  
The dessert plates were cleared and Draco realised with surprise that he had actually eaten his. He hadn't even noticed the taste he'd been to busy watching and listening to Harry.  
  
"You went to the top of the Astronomy Tower and sat on the edge. At first I thought you were going to jump, but I later found out you went there for some peace." Harry smiled. "You must have gotten your spy training from Snape, because you somehow knew I was there. You said I should either show myself or bugger off."  
  
Draco nodded, straining his mind to remember. "That sounds like me."  
  
"Indeed. So I took off my cloak and sat down next to you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Harry blinked. "Sorry? What?"  
  
"Why did you sit down next to me? Surely you thought I was a Death Eater?"  
  
"Well, yes, I did."  
  
"You didn't think I'd tell you anything did you?"  
  
"No. I knew you never would have."  
  
"So why approach me?"  
  
Draco smiled as Harry blushed but continued on. "It's not important. Anyway, for whatever reason, I sat down next to you. You weren't in a good mood, almost as if you were about to start crying. You didn't of course, but it looked like it. Your eyes had this look, like something had broken inside. We didn't say anything until you turned to me and placed your left hand on the side of my face. You just looked at me, until my mind finally woke up and I asked you what you were doing. You said you were just looking. I asked for what."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"I'm just looking."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Salvation."  
  
Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"If I tell you something, promise you won't tell anyone else?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"No. Say it. Say you promise."  
  
"I promise."  
  
Draco looked away and removed his hand. "I killed a man."  
  
"WHAT? When? What happened?" Harry leaned closer, wondering if he would have to tell Dumbledore. Wondering if he could manage to break a promise he had made to this beautiful boy.  
  
"It was Christmas Day. I was at home, I'd only gone back for the day and then I had to return to Hogwarts that night. This man confronted my father in his study while I watched, concealed in the next room. He knew. He knew and he was going to tell Voldemort. He was going to kill my parents and blow our cover. I had no choice."  
  
"You? You and your parents are spies? For us?"  
  
The blonde nodded slowly. "I didn't want to. But my parents were unarmed, their wands had been taken from them. I didn't have any choice, they were my parents. And I would have lost in a duel, he was much older than me, and probably knew more."  
  
"So you used the Killing Curse?"  
  
Draco turned his grey eyes back to the other boy. "I didn't want to, I swear."  
  
Harry nodded, not looking away from Draco's eyes for a second. "I believe you."  
  
Draco smiled gratefully. "Thank you." He whispered.  
  
Before Harry knew what the blonde was doing, soft lips were against his. He blinked in surprise and then came to his senses, starting to return it enthusiastically.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"And well, then we ....... well, yes. We kind of got away from ourselves from that point." Harry blushed again. "Sorry, it's rather ..... odd, explaining it to you."  
  
Draco nodded slowly, getting the idea of what followed anyway. "I killed someone?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Well, not really no." And again he wouldn't look at Draco. "But that's what I remember of, um, the beginning of us."  
  
"I don't think I would have done that."  
  
"Huh?" harry looked back, frowning.  
  
"I knew I had to stay away from you. It was too dangerous. I think the phantom got that wrong."  
  
Harry's eyes darkened. "So you wouldn't have wanted me?"  
  
"No, that's not what I meant, um, er, if I had wanted you, I wouldn't have risked it. Too dangerous, for both of us." He added hurriedly.  
  
"*Did* you want me?"  
  
Draco looked instinctively for the exit, wishing his former self hadn't booked the entire restaurant so that they would be alone. "Um, what?"  
  
"When you were sixteen, before the spirit thing, did you want me?" Harry smiled ruefully. "Please, just tell me."  
  
Draco fiddled with the tablecloth. "Um, yeah, I did."  
  
Harry smiled softly. "Do you still?"  
  
"It's sort of strange now."  
  
Harry frowned. "How so?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "It's just weird. I mean, who knows. Maybe I am different to the phantom me. Small things that just haven't been noticed yet, it could change who I am entirely. So maybe ...... " Draco trailed off.  
  
"Maybe what?"  
  
"Maybe you'd love the impersonation of me, and not actually me."  
  
Harry looked down. "I don't think so." He said softly.  
  
Draco finished off his drink as the waiter walked over. He signed for the night to be charged to his account and thanked the staff. Harry took that as his cue to leave and both men walked to the front.  
  
"Well, thank you for dinner." The dark haired man said softly.  
  
"Thank you for telling me a little of my life." Draco experienced the most uncomfortable handshake of his life and then frowned, looking around confused.  
  
"What's the matter?" Harry asked.  
  
"Um, I wanted to walk home."  
  
"So?"  
  
"I went to see Severus for a little while and portkeyed back to platform nine and three quarters so I could catch a cab."  
  
"So?" Harry still wasn't getting it.  
  
"Well, I caught a taxi from the train station to get here." Draco looked to him and smiled. "I don't even know in which direction it is that I live. And there doesn't seem to be any cabs now."  
  
Harry started to laugh softly and waved a hand. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh. It's just so weird to see you lost."  
  
Draco gave him a pointed look. "Whenever you're ready."  
  
"I'm sorry Ko, I really am." Harry straightened his face into a serious look, but his mouth kept twitching. "Come on, I'll walk you home."  
  
"My hero." Draco said bitterly. But he smiled anyway as he followed Harry's lead.  
  
It was only a half hour walk that was completed in silence. Harry stopped at the main entrance of the apartment block. "Do you remember your floor?" He asked playfully which earned him a gentle punch to the arm. "Well, I'll just be getting back then." He said, sadness creeping into his voice again.  
  
Draco nodded sadly as well. "Yeah. Oh, Harry?" The dark haired man turned back and Draco dragged up every bit of courage he had. He leant over and placed a soft kiss on the surprised man's lips. It was quick, but still nice. "Happy birthday."  
  
Harry gave a strained smile. "Thanks." He turned and started to walk away as Draco, refusing to let himself watch, headed inside. He walked quietly to the elevator, ignoring how aroused he had suddenly become.  
  
"That felt so familiar." He muttered to himself.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	10. Part Nine : My Bloody Kiss

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Resident loony is back!  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Nine. My Bloody Kiss.  
  
Draco had tried to ignore the fact that he had been aroused since his brief contact with Harry and his lips. And he wasn't too sure who the kiss had been for. For Harry, to wish him a happy birthday, or for himself, because he was desperate to know what he had missed out on.  
  
Ignoring the odd smell that had been hanging around the apartment for a few days, he fell into a restlessly sleep.  
  
Blood, on his face, his hands, now his hair as he ran his hand through his hair. He was pulling at something, he was saying something, but he couldn't hear the words. Then alone, so alone. No-one was coming to help him.  
  
Then Harry crying. And Draco was yelling something at him but didn't hear the words. Cold, so cold. Sickeningly cold. Not just his skin, but creeping into his mind, behind his eyes. Then *wet* cold all over, like a shower as if he was drowning in Harry's tears.  
  
Draco eyes flew open and he took a deep breath. Steel, resting on the other pillow opened his eyes and stretched a little, causing a small paw to press into the side of Draco's head.  
  
The blonde looked to the cat. "Bloody phantom. I need to get out for awhile. I need to find a nice quiet place to think. I need to find some peace."  
  
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Mortel needed peace. He knew that. But it was dangerous.  
  
They were suddenly more alert. They hadn't found the old lady yet, but he wasn't worried about it. That was why he had written the date next to her head. Just so they wouldn't make a mistake.  
  
They had found the little girl though. How could they not? More screaming parents, chaos, confusion. He had revelled in it. It had been so calming to hear the broken screams. The Muggle police, instantly calling the number they had been given in times like this. Aurors everywhere. Looking for him.  
  
Looking through him.  
  
His face curled into a smile. He loved how they just weren't looking properly. They were looking so hard they saw straight through him. They didn't sit down and think logically, because if they did, they would have gotten him by now.  
  
He had made mistakes. Ones that kept him panicking that they would come before he was ready. But the mistakes had been over looked in their hurry. They were desperate to work it out.  
  
He had seen how disappointed they were when they had to release the news that Draco was innocent. But Mortel knew better.  
  
Draco was only technically innocent.  
  
And Mortel was never going to let them forget it. He smiled again. Well, Draco already had, but that wasn't Mortel's fault. The blonde had no-one to blame but himself and his silly, stubborn boyfriend.  
  
And besides, Draco could be reminded.  
  
Mortel slipped along the dark streets, wondering if the day of remembrance should be today. But he let it go, knowing it wasn't the right time.  
  
Yet.  
  
Soon, it would be. And then they couldn't stop him.  
  
Mortel had his plan back on track.  
  
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Draco looked around, wondering if he had already come down this street, he had gotten lost in his thoughts. He looked behind him as a noise, almost like someone laughing softly, reached his ears. He couldn't see anyone though. He continued walking and reached the park, heading for the trees. Once he was concealed well enough he got out his portkey and activated it, still annoyed that wards had to be placed up in his apartment to stop intruders.  
  
Apparently not every one was convinced that he wasn't a killer. And disturbing rumours had started that the killings were on again. But Hermione had refused to talk about anything of the kind, saying it shouldn't worry him and that it was Auror business.  
  
Draco hadn't been able to persuade her that he *was* an Auror technically, he just couldn't remember it. The portkey completed it's task and he walked around the ruins until he reached the tiny lookout that he always sat on.  
  
He had been coming to this place since he was fourteen, unless he was at Hogwarts. Then the Astronomy Tower served to be just as good. But whenever he was home this was where he came when he needed some time to think.  
  
Or when he just needed some nice silence. There was never any noise other than the wind here. He wasn't too sure what the ruins used to be, some buildings of an ancient civilisation or something, but they always granted privacy and peace. And rest, which is what he was searching for now.  
  
He was so tired. He couldn't understand why, he hadn't done anything strenuous during the day. But hearing Harry talk about 'them' had only made him lonely. The nightmares that he could never quite remember were making him sleep less and less.  
  
He was tired of reaching his hand out when he woke up and not finding what his skin knew should be next to him. Something deep inside his mind told him that Harry should be there. But he was alone. The feelings were always at their strongest when he had just woken up.  
  
Sometimes he woke up and just knew that his was his home and that it had been for the last three years. He could almost grasp memories of Harry cooking while Draco sat on the kitchen bench, just watching him quietly.  
  
He was starting to think that even the memories of the murders would be worth remembering how Harry looked when he woke up in the morning. Or when he smiled without it being slightly sad. Draco hated the fact that he couldn't remember any of their time together.  
  
The logical conclusion was, if he couldn't remember any of it, he just make some new memories. Draco took a deep breath and decided his course of action. He was going to ignore his paranoia. He was going to ignore the fact that Harry might not even like the real him.  
  
Somehow, he was going to get him back. And a Malfoy never gave up until he got what he wanted.  
  
Now he just had to figure out how.  
  
----------  
  
Mortel snarled as the young man trembled. "Don't be so fucking pathetic."  
  
He slowly dragged the blade across the pale throat and watched as the blood trickled down. The man stopped moving after a few minutes and Mortel stepped back to admire his creation.  
  
He lifted the Dead Weight spell that had stopped his toy from escaping and smiled cruelly. Scooping up some of the blood he brought it to his lips, smearing it around as it dried. A pink tongue slipped out, tasting every now and then which meant he had to reapply more.  
  
The blonde man was definitely dead by now and no new blood came from his wounds. Mortel enjoyed the serenity for a moment and then turned to leave.  
  
"I will get you back Draco. You were always mine and I will find you again."  
  
----------  
  
Draco opened his eyes unsteadily and wiped his mouth, still thinking he could taste the blood from his dream. He looked at the ceiling, only having a vague memory of stumbling back into his apartment and collapsing on to his bed.  
  
Steel was curled up on his chest and the cat opened one eye to look at him.  
  
"Hey boy." Draco absently scratched him behind his ears. "You didn't hear anything just now did you?"  
  
Steel purred at the petting and pushed his head into Draco's hand.  
  
"Great." The blonde muttered angrily. "Like I didn't have enough problems, now I'm hearing things."  
  
He sighed and flicked the cat off to lie on the other side of the bed so he could turn on to his side. He stared at the empty space next to him. "Do you reckon I could get him back?"  
  
Steel only purred in response.  
  
"I agree. No harm in trying." Draco closed his eyes and prayed for a nice dream.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	11. Part Ten : I'll Get You

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Sorta amusing ending for this part, I just had to put it in. :)  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Ten. I'll Get You.  
  
The first thing Draco did the next morning was ignore his homework and call Harry.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Er, Ron? Is Harry there?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Hold on a sec."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
There was some scuffling sounds as the phone was passed over. "It's your boyfriend." He heard Ron mutter sarcastically. He didn't quite catch Harry's reply but he recognised the tone that was used and snickered.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Hi, Harry. Are you busy today? It's just that I really need you to answer a few things. All the questions last night only made me think of more."  
  
"Um, I have some work to do this morning."  
  
Draco made sure he sounded very disappointed, which wasn't that hard. "Oh. Okay then. Well I'll just .... "  
  
Harry interrupted just how Draco was hoping he would. "But I can come over in the afternoon, if you'd like?"  
  
"Um, yeah, okay. That sounds good. I'll see you about five or so?"  
  
"Yeah, okay."  
  
Draco checked he had everything ready for later and sat down to do his school work. But he couldn't concentrate very well.  
  
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Harry smiled politely as Draco opened the door.  
  
"Hi, Harry." The blonde greeted him brightly. "Come on in, would you like a drink?"  
  
"Er, sure." Harry took the offered Coke.  
  
"Feel free to help yourself if you run out. This place used to be yours as well, after all." Draco didn't miss the wince the Gryffindor gave at that.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Draco dropped into one of the armchairs. "Okay, so. How did your friends take it?"  
  
Harry sat down on the couch. "Er, take what?"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "How did your friends find out about us and how did they take it? If I'm going to pretend it was my life, I'm going to hear as much of it as possible."  
  
"Oh, um. They found out because I told them. We, er you and I, agreed that they could be trusted to know. And they wanted to know why I kept sneaking out of the dormitories, they kept pushing for that the most."  
  
"Sneaking out *without* them, was what they were worried about, more likely."  
  
Harry smiled. "Yeah. Um, Ron and Hermione seemed to take it all right. Well, Hermione was rendered silent, she didn't speak for three days. And Ron went this weird shade of purple, but they managed. It was the rest of Gryffindor that nearly had heart attacks. But they didn't find out until after the war was over, so it was okay."  
  
"How did Slytherin take it?"  
  
Harry smirked. "Oh, you so wish you could remember that. I've never seen so many people choke on their food before or since that day, when you walked over and kissed me in front of the whole school."  
  
Draco smacked the arm of his chair, sighing. "Damn. Pansy's face would have been priceless."  
  
"It was hilarious. Snape didn't even blink of course, Pansy coughed until she nearly threw up a lung, Crabbe accidentally stabbed his hand with his fork, Goyle accidentally stabbed Crabbe's hand with his fork. Crabbe punched Goyle. Things got out of hand and everyone finally calmed down after about half an hour of pandemonium."  
  
"You remember it well?"  
  
Harry gave a dreamy smile leaning back. "That's a day I'll never forget."  
  
Draco covered his misguided anger by finishing off his drink. "What did Dumbledore do?"  
  
"Huh?" Harry looked over and then sat up again. "Oh, um. He told us such fraternisation was inappropriate at the breakfast table. So you made a point by kissing me again, just to spite him. I didn't mind though."  
  
"How'd he take that little response of mine?"  
  
Harry gave a wicked grin. "He had to stipulate that such fraternisation was inappropriate *on* the breakfast table as well. I got milk all down my back and in my hair."  
  
Draco flicked his eyebrows for a second and both boys laughed.  
  
"Did we fight much?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh god, people said we were like oil and water, except for the fact that oil and water don't burst into flames when they mix. Our screaming matches are legendary in the Wizarding world. The ones conducted in public, at any rate."  
  
"Good. I'm glad it wasn't boring."  
  
"That is the one word I don't think I've ever heard our relationship called."  
  
Draco smiled and went to the cabinet. "Want another drink?"  
  
Harry smiled and shrugged. "If you're offering." His smile faltered though, when Draco passed him a vodka and coke. "How did you know I drank that?"  
  
Draco frowned and look at it. "Um, I don't know. I just poured."  
  
Harry smiled. "That's okay, you must have made a hundred of these for me. Your hands probably just knew where to go."  
  
Draco told his mind to fuck off at the image it cheerfully provided at that comment. "Yeah. I guess." He took a seat in the second armchair. "So, when did we move in here?"  
  
Harry seemed to shake something off. "Er, we figured we were driving Sirius and Lucius crazy when we started our fights so we agreed it would be better all round if we moved in together. No going between houses and then we could only infuriate each other. We decided on London so you could go shopping. You were always fond of buying stuff, even if it wasn't for you. But we also have your house in the country for when we want out of the whole city scene."  
  
Draco smirked. "And how did your godfather take the news you were sleeping with a former Death Eater? And the son of another former Death Eater to boot."  
  
Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, yes. That didn't go too well. Especially when Severus felt the need to defend you."  
  
"He probably only did that to get on Black's nerves."  
  
"Most likely. It sort of ended in Sirius and Lucius in a fist fight over which boy was better. Then they were both bleeding and unconscious while we sat back muttering about the foolishness of adults."  
  
"My father didn't do an Unforgivable? There must have been witnesses."  
  
"Only Severus, Narcissa and Dumbledore."  
  
"Dumbledore?"  
  
"Yeah." Harry raised his glass in toast. "We were all in his office at the time."  
  
Draco raised his own glass and then paused for a moment, wondering what he should ask next. But before he did, he poured another drink for each of them and sat down on the couch next to Harry, hoping the other wouldn't notice the shortening distance. "What happened to Dumbledore's beard? I can never work out if it would be rude or not to ask."  
  
"Oh, there was a fire near the end of the last battle. He got burned trying to help the Aurors."  
  
"Couldn't he just magically lengthen it again?"  
  
Harry smirked and leant back fully into the couch. "He says it makes him look younger."  
  
Draco snorted with sarcasm and finished his second drink. The two sat in silence for awhile.  
  
"What's it like for you?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
Draco looked to him, confused. "What?"  
  
Harry rolled his head to look at the blonde. "What's it like to suddenly not have some of your life? I'm sitting here feeling weird that I have to tell you these things, but it must be different for you?"  
  
"It's .............. odd. That's all I can think to describe it."  
  
Harry nodded and they were silent again.  
  
"Um, the apartment looks good."  
  
Draco frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, clean and stuff. You're not known for your house work skills."  
  
Draco smiled. "Oh, that. I hired a cleaner."  
  
Harry looked to him. "You what? Oh, well, yeah I suppose you would."  
  
"Something wrong with that? She only comes three days a week."  
  
"No, it's just that ........ No, well, we, um *you* and I, we agreed that it was our apartment so we'd take care of it. But I can see why you'd hire someone. You wouldn't know and yeah, um ..... Look, I'd better get back. Hermione will be wondering where I am." Harry put his glass down and stood up. "Nice talking to you, I'll see you later. I can let myself out."  
  
Harry walked out and Draco sighed as he heard the door close. "Damn it."  
  
He thought for awhile about what he should do. He picked up the phone and dialled.  
  
"Ezy Cleaners?"  
  
"Yeah hi. My name is Draco Malfoy and I would like to cancel the cleaner. She did well and everything, but I don't need your services anymore."  
  
"Very well, sir. Your bill will sent to you."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He ended that called and dialled a second number.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hermione, hi. I need a favour and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell Harry."  
  
"Um, maybe."  
  
"It's nothing big or anything."  
  
"Oh, okay. What can I do for you?"  
  
Draco braced himself for the reaction he'd probably get. "I need you to tell me how to work the vacuum machine."  
  
To Be Continued. 


	12. Part Eleven : Paint The Sky

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nope, none.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Eleven. Paint The Sky  
  
Draco got back in and threw his coat on to the kitchen counter. He'd gone for another little trip to his 'Retreat', or so he called it. He'd needed to do some thinking about how exactly he was going to get Harry to want *this* him. He'd come up with a few ideas, but would need time to work on them first.  
  
Instead of getting something to eat he headed into the room that held all his painting equipment. He still hadn't looked at anything that had been done and he decided today was definitely the time to do so.  
  
He now refused to believe that Mortel would have been foolish enough to paint anything incriminating, such as the murders or the like, so Draco was very curious to see what had been done. He started removing the covers. There were paintings of many things and they were all grouped into stacks so that all the paintings of the same things were together.  
  
The first stack was of the apartment. Some of the furniture was slightly different but that was it. He moved on to the rest.  
  
His parents. Snape. Snape with Steel. Snape with Dumbledore. His parents with Snape. His home in the country. His parents' home.  
  
Draco stared at the last stack when it had been uncovered. He didn't blush, but he was glad no-one was there to see his expression. He'd never seen Harry naked before and he had to admit he really didn't mind it at all. He slowly went through them, memorising each in turn then came to the very last one.  
  
He smiled at the scene. Harry lying on his side with his eyes closed and him sitting behind him, one hand reaching out to push the dark hair back, watching him intently. He noticed a message in the corner and leaned forward, tilting his head, to read what was obviously his own hand writing.  
  
'Happy birthday, my beautiful Gryffindor. I'll watch over your dreams for you. I love you.'  
  
It was soppy and not exactly his style, but Draco got the feeling Harry would have loved it, and that had been the whole point, most likely. He shook his head, smiling, and walked back to the living room. Steel was just coming back in from off the balcony and he hopped up on the table, looking to be fed.  
  
"You've had your dinner." Draco said, making Steel mewl louder. "Nope. I'm not going to feed you again. You've had enough." He checked the clock and decided he'd better get some sleep.  
  
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The young girl couldn't hear, couldn't see and couldn't move. The fact that she hated the most was that she couldn't scream. Her parents were right down the hall and if she could just scream they would rush in and save her. She knew her daddy would fight off anything to keep her safe.  
  
Her hands ached, she was frightened, and the tears were still rolling down her face.  
  
Mortel, on the other hand, was doing quite well. He had his plan back on track. The rules had changed slightly, but he was doing all right now, which he decided was a vast improvement.  
  
He was going to get Draco back, he was going to show Harry how a person should truly behave. Draco had always belonged to Mortel, so he didn't see why he had to give him up now, just because he wasn't being executed.  
  
He *would* get him back, even if it meant killing the blonde.  
  
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Draco just about jumped out of bed when he woke up on Friday morning and rushed to get ready. Today was one of his practical days at Hogwarts and he really quite liked them. He enjoyed it much better than theory and it meant he could go drink with Snape afterwards. It was also fun to give steady looks at the snickering children and pull out his dagger to pick his nails with. That always shut them up.  
  
He might not be a murderer, but that didn't make him a saint, and he was very fond of terrifying the students. He blamed Snape for that characteristic. Or at least, he blamed the teacher for encouraging it.  
  
He sat through his classes diligently and almost bounced on his way down to the dungeons. His potion practical was always the last for the day, with no other students hanging around. He waved cheerfully to some of the Slytherins that were hanging around and headed in.  
  
"Hey, sir."  
  
"Good afternoon, Draco. It's a pleasure to see you. Your instructions are on the board."  
  
He worked quietly and then waited for the result when he was finished. The only time he'd ever got one wrong anyway was when Ron had thrown beetle eyes at him and some had accidentally fallen in, so he wasn't too concerned.  
  
After being told it was acceptable he automatically went to Snape's chambers and let himself in, waiting for the other man to follow. He poured himself a drink and sat down in 'his' chair.  
  
"Well, Draco." Snape said as he walked in. "How has your week been?"  
  
"Not too bad. Though Harry isn't being co-operative."  
  
"Really? How so?"  
  
"Well, I know he works a lot, but you think he could find some time to spend with his former fiancee? How else am I going to seduce him?"  
  
Snape sighed and took a seat. "So, you've decided you want him for yourself?"  
  
"Damn right I have. I don't see why spirits get to have all the fun." Draco replied, on the verge of sulking about it again.  
  
"And do you have a plan?"  
  
Draco tilted his head a little, thinking about it. "It's not really a plan, more of a guideline. For a start there's this painting I found that was obviously meant to be given to him for his birthday. I thought if I *did* give it to him that would give me a plausible excuse to invite him over."  
  
"I do hope this doesn't follow along the line of 'Get him drunk' in any way."  
  
"Don't be stupid, sir. I'm more subtle than that."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Talk, drop hints, touch him as if innocently, you know, the normal way to seduce someone. But if that doesn't work there is always the reminiscing way, where you just get him talking about the past so much he won't think twice when you kiss him."  
  
"And if those don't work?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "Get him drunk."  
  
Snape rolled his eyes slightly and refilled their drinks. "I think you should just be thankful that he still seems to want you. He was here yesterday, whining at Dumbledore about how much he misses you."  
  
Draco grinned. "Excellent! That'll make things much easier."  
  
They clinked their glasses together and spent the rest of the evening arguing about the Ministry.  
  
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Draco had dialled the number for Hermione and Ron's place as soon as he had walked in the door.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Harry, glad your home. Er, I've found something which was obviously meant to be a birthday present for you. Would you like to have it? Or should I keep it here?"  
  
"Can't you just send it?" Harry's tone wasn't the friendliest but Draco overlooked it.  
  
"Um, I don't think an owl could carry it."  
  
"I'll ask Hermione to pick it up on her way home then."  
  
Draco frowned, this wasn't going well. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, you're not being very friendly."  
  
"I'm being perfectly sociable."  
  
"You call *this* sociable?"  
  
"Look, was there something you wanted?"  
  
Draco scowled. "I just thought you might like this stupid present."  
  
"Fine. I'll be there in five minutes." Harry slammed the phone down.  
  
Draco went and stood next to the door, not feeling in the best of moods by this time and waited for Harry to knock. When it happened it almost sounded as if the Gryffindor wanted to break down the door. Draco opened it and Harry walked in without being asked but the blonde let that go too.  
  
"Well, where is it?"  
  
"Hold on, it's in the studio." Draco went to go get the painting as Harry called after him.  
  
"Why is it in there?"  
  
Draco reappeared and handed it over as the Gryffindor stared at it. He, like Draco had, titled his head to read the inscription and an unreadable expression was on his face briefly.  
  
"I'll just be going now."  
  
"Er, would you like a drink before you go?"  
  
"No thank you." went to leave, much to Draco's annoyance. "I just thought I might ask you a couple of things while you were here."  
  
Harry turned, his facial expression very readable now. He was obviously very angry about something.  
  
"You know, Malfoy, I don't see why I have to answer every stupid little question your mind thinks up. Do you honestly think I have nothing better to do than to jump at your every command?"  
  
To Be Continued. 


	13. Part Twelve : Shouts And Kisses

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Sex and violence! Without the violence! Er, don't panic, it's not too graphic, just use your imagination, that's what it's there for.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twelve. Shouts And Kisses.  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow as Harry put the painting down and crossed his arms. "Well, excuse me, *Potter*, but I was under the impression that you were going to be helpful. I'm sorry to have bothered you with my troubles of trying to get my life back in order. I'll make a note to not disturb your little world anymore." He spat back, just as angry.  
  
"Oh, yes, of course. *You* are the only one who's had his life tipped upside down. *You* are the one that needs us to drop everything at any moment to come over here and make you feel better. *You* must be the only one who we all answer to. Fucking hell, Ko, the world does not revolve around you!"  
  
"Now what the fuck are you talking about?"  
  
"Well, let's see shall we? You keep dragging me over here and making me talk about our past. You expect me to just answer all your questions like a good little lap dog. You don't, or won't, think about how I feel about all this? I had everything just ripped away in the course of a few weeks and now you want me to remind *me* of how good it was?"  
  
Draco was starting to catch on to why Harry was so angry. He smiled slightly, which probably hadn't been the best thing as Harry saw it, and that seemed to make things worse.  
  
"What? You think this is funny?" His voice was getting a little louder.  
  
"No, I was just ..... "  
  
Harry broke in. "You think it's so amusing that now I'm sitting at home wondering what the fuck I'm supposed to be doing now? I had my home, my fiancee and my life just taken away and now you expect me to just chat about it like it happened to someone else?"  
  
"No, I was only .... "  
  
"WELL FUCK YOU TOO! I DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH YOUR SHIT, MALFOY! WHY DON'T YOU GO AND BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE FOR YOUR *LIFE*? HERMIONE! RON! HELL, EVEN SNAPE!"  
  
Draco glared and reacted accordingly. "IF YOU'D JUST LET ME FINISH A FUCKING SENTENCE .... "  
  
"DROP FUCKING DEAD!"  
  
Harry had turned to leave but Draco took four steps and grabbed his arm. "DON'T FUCKING THINK YOU CAN WALK OUT ME! WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? SOMETIMES I REALLY WONDER WHY I EVEN BOTHER!"  
  
Harry dragged his arm away. "DON'T touch me!"  
  
"Oh, so NOW you don't want me to! I swear to god, Potter, you're impossible. You keep looking at me as if .... " Draco trailed off, realising that he was talking about something that was over four years ago to Harry.  
  
"I keep what?" Harry growled back.  
  
"Never mind. That was years ago to you." Draco said softly.  
  
"Oh, and *there* it is. Just rubbing it in that you don't remember anything!"  
  
"I'm starting to think that could be a good thing! I don't see why I have to put up with you whining at me because of the past! IT'S NOT MY FUCKING FAULT! You think I don't want to remember what we used to do? I do, but the memories just WON'T COME!"  
  
"I KNOW IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!"  
  
"THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?"  
  
"BECAUSE ..... " Harry caught himself. "Because, it's not fair that you don't remember. You had to fucking stare at me before you even knew who I was. That hurt."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry. It's not like I had a choice in all this."  
  
"I just hate coming here and having to explain everything to you."  
  
Draco took a step forward. "You know. I've been trying my hardest to get you to *really* talk to me all week. I've decided to fuck off subtlety and just go with direct."  
  
"Huh?" Harry frowned, trying to step away but Draco grabbed his shoulders and kissed him.  
  
He pulled away after he got no response and shrugged. "I guess that answers that." He turned to go to the couch as Harry blinked.  
  
"Er, what was that?"  
  
Draco sat down and swung his feet up. "I kissed you." He said with faked nonchalance. It had actually rather hurt that Harry hadn't done anything, not even pushed him away.  
  
"No, I got that but why?"  
  
"Because I wanted to."  
  
Harry walked over and looked down at where Draco sat, pretending to read the T.V. guide. "You did? But I thought you were concerned with the whole me not liking the real you and stuff."  
  
Draco shrugged and stood up, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with Harry so close. "I decided I should stop whining about it and see if you could like the real me." He went to go to the kitchen but a hand to his arm stopped him.  
  
"Is that why you keep calling? Why you keep dragging me over here? You're trying to reconnect or, well, something?" A smiling, hopeful sounding Harry moved to stand in front of him as he nodded.  
  
"I'm just trying to get laid." Draco said playfully.  
  
Harry smiled. "Oh, well that's okay then."  
  
Harry kissed him chastely but Draco had other ideas and by the time they pulled apart Harry's shirt was half off.  
  
"You weren't kidding when you said you wanted to get laid?"  
  
Draco shook his head. "Nope, I'm sick of wasting time. Though you'll, er, have to remind me on a few things." Draco gave him a push in the direction of the bedroom, a hint, which Harry obeyed enthusiastically, dragging him in as well.  
  
At the last moment, Draco wrenched his arm free and pushed Harry to sit on the bed dragging off his boots and Harry's shoes. "Now, now. You're supposed to be reminding me."  
  
"What?" Harry let Draco take off his socks.  
  
"Well, it's not an Astronomy Tower, but it'll do." Draco pushed him to sit in the middle of the bed and sat down next to him. "So, I kissed you?" Draco wrapped his left hand around the back of Harry's neck and pulled him in, kissing him quickly then drawing back. "Then what?" He smiled playfully.  
  
Harry caught on and smiled back. "Um, I kissed you back and you seemed happy with that response."  
  
"Did I? What did I do to show that?"  
  
"Um, you dragged me up and away from the edge. You muttered something about not wanting to fall. Then took off our shoes and stuff."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Then used your wand to warm the stone and make them a little softer. You pushed me to lie down on the observatory platform."  
  
"Really?" Draco pushed Harry's shoulders until the boy lay down. "Well, the bed's warm and already soft enough. Keep going. Just tell me everything."  
  
"You lay down with me and kissed my neck, undoing my shirt. Yeah like that." Harry tilted his head back. "And your hand started to undo my jeans as you kissed my chest."  
  
"Which hand." Draco said teasingly as he gently kissed Harry's sternum.  
  
"Um, you're left, because you were on my left side."  
  
Draco's hand fiddled with Harry's belt. "Anything else?"  
  
"Um, you sucked my right nipple first, before moving on to the other one while you used your foot to push my jeans off completely."  
  
Draco complied as he swung his left foot up to hook on Harry's jeans and push them down. Harry squirmed a little and they came off his feet and were kicked off the bed.  
  
"Come on, Harry. I can't do anything if you don't remind me." He gave a lick to Harry's nipple and smirked at the sigh that he received.  
  
Harry blinked and clear his throat. "You kissed my stomach as you took off my boxers."  
  
"Hmmm, that could be a problem as you're not wearing any. I'll improvise." Draco gave a kiss to his stomach as one finger ran up the underside of Harry's cock. "How's that?"  
  
"Um, yeah, that's good. Then you kissed me."  
  
Draco smiled wickedly. "Oh, okay." He moved back up and gently kissed Harry on the lips causing the dark haired man to scowl.  
  
"You know that's not what I meant."  
  
"Do I?" He asked innocently. "You said that I .... "  
  
"You kissed my erection."  
  
"OH! Well, why didn't you say so?" He shifted back down chuckling at the dark mutterings of his lover. "Where?"  
  
"The head."  
  
"Like this?" Draco gently kissed the leaking head.  
  
"No, more like the underside of the head and it was a sucking kiss."  
  
"Oh, like this?" Draco's tongue darted out a little and licked the soft skin before he supplied the kiss.  
  
"Mmmm, yeah, exactly like that."  
  
"What were you doing during all of this?"  
  
"Trying desperately not to cum. Which is what I'm doing now, so if we could just speed this up a little, I'd appreciate it."  
  
"Hey, I'm just doing what you tell me. Speak faster if you want this to move along."  
  
"You did the lubrication spell without your wand, and started to suck me off gently as your fingers prepared me." Harry spoke quickly. "Please hurry, I haven't had sex in nearly two months."  
  
"I've been able to do that spell without a wand since I was thirteen."  
  
"I know, just, god, please. And leave the prep out, I don't need it anymore. I'm not a virgin this time."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, just cast the spell and pushed his trousers down a little, rubbing it on his erection as he carefully sucked Harry's cock. He let go slowly. "How's that?"  
  
"Fine, just fine." Harry panted back.  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"Please."  
  
"No, I kind of like this, tell me or I won't do anything." Draco wasn't sure if he was telling the truth but he went with it."  
  
Harry frowned for a second, trying to remember. "You moved back up, bringing my left leg up to stay around your back."  
  
"I fucked you fully clothed?"  
  
"You weren't then."  
  
"You didn't tell me I took my clothes off. When did I do that?"  
  
Harry smiled. "I have no idea. I don't even remember. I think I was too busy staring at the sky."  
  
"Well, I'll have to take them off now." Draco smiled with faked modesty. "Unless you want to do that?"  
  
Harry nearly cracked his skull into Draco's in his hurry to sit up and start on the blonde's clothes. After a few minutes of twisting and turning they finally had them all off and Harry dragged him back down. Draco gave him a long slow kiss as his hands occupied themselves and Harry broke away.  
  
"Bastard." He gasped out.  
  
"You're enjoying it."  
  
"Not the point."  
  
"Okay, so I pulled your leg up to wrap around my back. And then I .... "  
  
"Then you stopped." Harry realised a little too late that he had wanted to forget the part right now.  
  
"What the bloody hell did I do that for?" Draco practically yelled.  
  
"I don't know, you just looked at me and asked if it was all right."  
  
"I would have thought it was a little late for that."  
  
"Yeah, so let's skip that part. I said yes and then you pushed all the way into me."  
  
"Good for me." Draco said smirking and did just that as Harry moaned.  
  
"Then you kissed me again and lifted yourself up on your left arm and started moving."  
  
Draco gave him a soft kiss. "Slowly?"  
  
Harry managed to shake his head and form words. "No. More like desperate. Not like real fast, but steady."  
  
He started to move at a medium pace watching as Harry smiled and closed his eyes. Draco was trying to not notice how good it felt so that he wouldn't ruin it by finishing early, but his hips sped up a little without him noticing.  
  
Harry, who didn't seem to be able to say the next part due to his change in breathing, grabbed Draco's hand and pushed it down until the blonde got the idea and wrapped his fingers around the neglected erection.  
  
"Please ....... faster." Harry gasped out and Draco wasn't about to argue. Green eyes flew open and Harry stretched his back as his orgasm hit him. Draco gritted his teeth at the tightening muscles around his own erection and managed to last for a few more strokes before his own release overtook him.  
  
His elbow gave out and he slumped on top Harry, whose arms came up to hold him to his chest. Draco rolled to the side and reached for his shirt, which was where he had left his wand. He cleaned them and the bed up and chucked it back to the floor.  
  
He lay his head back down on the pillow and slid under the sheet, Harry followed him and stretched coming to lie with his head next to Draco's shoulder. They lay there quietly for a little while.  
  
"Ko?"  
  
"Mmmm?"  
  
"What's that scratching noise?"  
  
Draco opened his eyes and listened. "Shit! It's Steel. I locked him in the bathroom for when you were coming over."  
  
"Why?" Harry reluctantly let him go as he went to free the trapped feline.  
  
"I didn't like the idea of him watching us in bed."  
  
Harry scowled. "What made you so damn sure you were gonna get your way?"  
  
Draco smirked as Steel stalked by him and out to the living room. He shut both the door to the bathroom and the one to the living room before hopping back into bed, smiling. "Because, I'm irresistible."  
  
Harry snorted but lay back down anyway. "Insufferable, more like."  
  
Draco kissed him on the forehead and closed his eyes.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	14. Part Thirteen : I Got You

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Sappy morning after scene! I'm sorry, I tried to keep the mush to a minimum, but Harry insisted.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Thirteen. I Got You  
  
Draco wasn't quite awake but he could feel the hand that was stroking his hip. "Sickles." He muttered, trying to say that it tickled. He shifted a little and smiled, his eyes still closed.  
  
"Are you awake?" The voice sounded close to his ear but slightly muffled. He gave a sigh as an answer and nothing more. "I hope you're thinking of me." The voice muttered into his ear.  
  
"Course not." He mumbled back smiling a little more. "Lemme sleep."  
  
"You better not be thinking of anyone else."  
  
"Hmmm Gel C."  
  
The hand on his hip disappeared completely and he whined a little.  
  
"Ko, wake up." The voice wasn't soft anymore. A hand grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Ko!"  
  
"Mmmm, what, what? I'm awake." Draco opened his eyes and yawned as he stretched.  
  
"What did you call me?"  
  
"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes and rolled over so he could look at Harry. "When?"  
  
"Just now. You called me Gel C."  
  
"Er, I did?" Harry nodded and Draco started to panic. "Um, I swear I didn't mean to. I don't know anyone by that name." He caught himself and frowned. "Er, do I?"  
  
Harry nodded again. "Yeah, you do. Me."  
  
"What?" Draco slowly sat up, stretching his back and looked down at the other man.  
  
"Gel C. It's what you call me when I'm being stupid. Jealousy. How did you remember that?"  
  
"Um, I don't know."  
  
"Ko!"  
  
"I swear I don't!" He said indignantly. "Sometimes things are different when I'm sleeping."  
  
Harry sat up too and frowned. "Like you can nearly remember when you're asleep? Like a subconscious thing?"  
  
"Yeah. Dumbledore doesn't understand it." He yawned again and lay back down, letting Harry hover over him. "Why Gel C?"  
  
Harry blushed. "Oh, er, you want that story?" Draco nodded, looking curious. "Um, it was four days before we were moving in here. There was so much to take care of, Auror training, moving, packing so we decided to go to a club, have a few drinks try and relax."  
  
Harry shifted back down to his side so he could still stare down at the blonde who was lying on his back. "Basically? We both got very smashed. At one point I had to go to the bathroom and when I got back, you were chatting to this guy. Nothing else, just chatting."  
  
There was a pause so Draco raised his eyebrows. "Well? Go on."  
  
"Er, well, I'm not the best with jealousy when I'm sober, so when I was drunk .... " He trailed off as Draco smirked.  
  
"You overreacted a little didn't you?"  
  
"You could say that, though it would be an understatement. Anyway, long story short, it was a very good thing that we had left our wands at home though a few of the speakers did explode much to the surprise of the muggles. But yeah, ever since then you always called me Gel C when I was being silly about all that sort of stuff."  
  
"But Gel C?"  
  
"Hey, I wasn't the only drunk one." Harry smiled and Draco returned it. "So, are you okay?"  
  
Draco frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Well, I just thought, you know, you might be rethinking your plan about what happened last night." Harry fidgeted a little, not looking him in the eyes.  
  
Draco let him hang there for awhile. "Oh, that." He slowly counted in his head to five. "Nah, I thought it was quite a nice reminder."  
  
Harry smiled and leant down, kissing him lightly. He pulled back and ran a hand over Draco's face. "I love you." He said softly.  
  
Draco frowned and pulled away a little. "Don't." He said, rather harshly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You can't say that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You don't even know me."  
  
Harry sighed and moved to lie on top of the blonde before he could escape. "Oh, yes I do."  
  
"No, you know ..... "  
  
"Ko, just listen to me for a second, okay?"  
  
Draco stopped trying to get up.  
  
"Okay, I know that there's the whole phantom thing to think about, but the truth is, I know you better than you know me. Would you like some examples? Fine. I know that you like to sleep on the right side of the bed because then you can see out the window. I know that you disappear most nights to go somewhere that you only call your 'Retreat'."  
  
Draco looked surprised at that one but Harry continued on. "I know that you hate to sit around and do nothing when something is clearly 'going on' as you put it. I know that you'd sooner die than let me buy you any sort of clothing without your approval. And I know that when you were five you set fire to your father's hair."  
  
Draco nearly laughed but caught himself. "Who told you that?"  
  
"You. Or the phantom. Do you still want us to call that you?"  
  
"So long as it's not in link with the murders, yes."  
  
"Fine. But the point is, that was basically you. Or it wouldn't have gotten away with it. I know you, and I love you, you'll just have to accept it. For now at least."  
  
Draco bit his lip and nodded a little. "Okay then."  
  
They settled back down and lay there for awhile.  
  
"Shouldn't you be going to work or something today?" Draco broke the peace and quiet.  
  
"God damn it, Ko." Harry shifted to be leaning on his elbow again, looking down at the surprised blonde. "Don't do that! Why do you always have to ruin nice quiet moments like that, you know I hate it? Oh, wait .... I'm sorry."  
  
"Er, that's okay. You can tell me, you know?"  
  
"Tell you what?"  
  
"Tell me what you hate about me. Or what you love about me. Either one. Just tell me about what you think about me. But try not to be too mushy, I can't stand that."  
  
Harry smiled and shifted a little, getting comfortable. "Okay. But I love being mushy, if only to see the revolted look on your face. Um, let see. I hate how you think it's so funny that I get so jealous. I hate how you can't drink coffee unless it has maple syrup in it, I mean, well, just yuck. Um, oh! I hate how once a month you go through my wardrobe and throw out the 'offensive' stuff as you call it."  
  
"I throw your clothes out?"  
  
"Yeah, in a bag, down to the basement where the furnace is. But I should be honest and tell you that I love how you never say anything when you see that they are all back the next day." Harry winked.  
  
Draco snickered.  
  
"Um, I love how you always like things to be neat and tidy, but it never actually occurs to you to do housework."  
  
"Note to self, Harry loves it when I don't do housework."  
  
Harry smacked his stomach playfully. "That's not what I said and you know it."  
  
Draco smirked as Harry chuckled a little. "Um, I hate how you don't like to cuddle, but love how you do it anyway, just for me. I hate it when you get into one of your painting moods, because then I get ignored for days on end. I love how you tell me that I'm spending too much time worrying over work."  
  
"How's that."  
  
Harry smirked. "See last night for details. Er, I hate how when you do work at home, you do it while lying in bed. That wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for the fact that it means I have to shift countless piles of paper for when I want to go to sleep. I love the look in your eyes that you get when we're closing in on our target at work." Harry scowled. "I hate how you won't listen to reason about going into a large, dark building that's full of vampires." Harry tapped Draco's throat, where the scars were.  
  
"Ah, I was wondering about that."  
  
"Hmmm, yes, very annoying. I could have killed you for myself, you worried me so much."  
  
"But come on. We live together, we work together, don't we ever get sick of each other?"  
  
"Constantly." Harry smiled. "But we normally manage."  
  
"By screaming at each other?"  
  
"Well, yes, but the screaming usually leads to sex, so it's all good."  
  
"Ah, I knew there had to be a good side to the screaming, other than to make sure we didn't get bored."  
  
"Exactly." Harry leant down and kissed him.  
  
"Yes, screaming is widely unappreciated."  
  
"Indeed." Harry started to kiss his chest just as a loud noise came from the living room.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
Harry groaned and rolled on to his back. "I'll bet anything it's Hermione. I left a note saying I was coming here and that I'd be back within the hour. Now they'll be panicking."  
  
Sure enough, worried voices could be heard.  
  
"Come on, Ron. He might know if Harry was going somewhere else!"  
  
"You go. I'll wait here."  
  
"You're such a sook!"  
  
The door flew open as Draco sat up. "Draco! Harry's missing and we ...... " Hermione's eyes finally caught up with her mouth as Draco gave her an irritated look.  
  
"I'm sure he's fine." His voice was almost a growl.  
  
"Um, yes ..... er, I'm sure." She stammered out as Harry gave a small wave.  
  
"Hermione?" Ron's voice came from the living room. "Is everything okay? Is there trouble?" He didn't get an answer so he raced into the room and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening at the sight. "Oh, um. I think he's okay." Ron's voice squeaked out.  
  
"It would appear so." Hermione, still blushing madly, disappeared out the door.  
  
"You okay Harry?"  
  
"I'm fine, Ron. Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Well, you know." The redhead was now staring at the ground. "It's him and he's a ... Well, you know, he tried to slit my throat and everything."  
  
Harry scowled. "Ron! You know that wasn't him."  
  
"Well, it sort of was. It was him physically."  
  
"Yes." Draco drawled out. "And you have no idea how tempting it is to do it again, right now."  
  
Ron nodded hurriedly. "Um, yes, well. We'll just be off then." And then he disappeared, closing the door after himself.  
  
"Well, that was a real good mood killer." Harry muttered as Draco lay back down.  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Even if I do this?" Draco leant over and kissed him, just behind his ear.  
  
"Um .... "  
  
"Or this?" He kissed his neck and Harry smiled.  
  
"Well, maybe the mood can be resuscitated?"  
  
"Mouth to mouth?"  
  
"Definitely needed."  
  
Draco straddled Harry's legs and dragged him up into a sitting position. "You've yet to remind about the first time you got to fuck me." He whispered.  
  
Harry took a quick gasp in and nodded his head as he breathed his words out. "I think I quite like all this reminiscing."  
  
"I thought you might." Draco gently bit his ear making the dark haired man hum happily.  
  
"Oh, Harry?" The door opened again as Draco thanked the gods that the sheet was still around his waist and therefore covering his arse. A choking noise came from the door way and the blonde half turned to look at Ron again.  
  
"Something *else*, Weasley?" He growled out.  
  
"Er, um, we'll tell work you're not coming in to er, work today."  
  
"Thank you, Ron." Harry called, he lay his head on Draco's chest and gave a small laugh.  
  
"Good *bye* Ron." Draco snarled.  
  
"Yeah bye." And the door was slammed shut.  
  
"You know, I could always claim that Mortel came back, just for an hour or two?" Draco smiled wickedly. "Just came back to finish him off?"  
  
Harry squeezed his arse roughly. "Play nice, my pretty serial killer."  
  
"Awwww."  
  
"Now shut up. I have to help you remember."  
  
To Be Continued. 


	15. Part Fourteen : The Little Things

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: DRACO BEING MUSHY???????? Not to worry folks, it's indirect, silent mushy, so that's okay.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Fourteen. The Little Things.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that the right side of the wardrobe was now full of clothes again.  
  
He just got out his own clothes, grabbed a towel from the bottom shelf and headed into the bathroom to have a shower.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that the bathroom basin suddenly had two toothbrushes, two different brands of after shave, two razors sitting next to each other and a contact lens case.  
  
He just grabbed up his razor and hopped into the shower.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that there were two different shampoos on offer or that the shower hadn't been turned off properly by the last person to use it.  
  
He just shaved, cleaned up and hopped out, still drying himself.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that a damp towel was already lying on the floor and that obviously someone had missed throwing it in to the hamper.  
  
He just placed his own in the basket and dressed quickly.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that he had to sift through foreign papers on his desk to find the things that he needed for that day at Hogwarts.  
  
He just located the right ones and packed them in his bag.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that someone had left the T.V. on even though he never watched it himself.  
  
He just located the remote, switched it off, scratched Steel behind the ears, grabbed up his keys from the table and headed out the door.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that he spent the entire day either shifting from one foot to the other or fidgeting in his chair.  
  
He just went through his lessons quietly and carefully.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that Snape smirked every time the blonde mentioned Harry, which meant the elder man smirked a lot.  
  
He just babbled on until it was time for him to leave.  
  
But he did find it hard to ignore that a complete and total stranger was sitting at his table when he got home.  
  
"Er, hello?"  
  
The brown haired stranger looked up. "Hi, Draco." Was said brightly and then he returned to the parchments he was reading.  
  
"Not to be rude or anything, but who are you?"  
  
The stranger looked up again, confused until understanding lit his face. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, Draco, I wasn't paying attention. I completely forgot, er, that is I didn't remember, um, oh god." He leapt to his feet and offered his hand. "I'm Morgan. I'm the one you guys were unlucky to get landed with for Recruit Training."  
  
"Hello. There's no need to apologise for saying the word 'forgot' I can deal with it quite well." Draco smiled slightly when Morgan blushed.  
  
"Right. Um, well, I was just doing some theory. Harry said he had to go out for awhile, something important. But he made your dinner first." Morgan pointed to the kitchen. "It's still in the oven."  
  
Draco smiled and nodded. "Thanks."  
  
"Er, I guess he meant to be home before you, so he could, um, introduce us .... again."  
  
"Yeah. So Harry and I are training you? Well I guess only Harry now, I'll need training myself soon."  
  
Morgan laughed softly and nodded. "Yeah, I guess."  
  
There was an awkward silence as Draco ate his meal and dumped the plate next to the sink. He hopped up on the counter and lit up a cigarette. "So, Morgan?" The other man looked up slowly. "What are you doing right now at work? Anything interesting?"  
  
Morgan shook his head and sat back in his chair. "Nah, I have to do a lot of theory work, because you can't do anything practical without supervision. You, obviously have your own stuff going on and Harry's always off, doing something or other. It's even worse now, what with the murders starting up again and all."  
  
Draco tensed his jaw. "Oh, so they have started again?"  
  
Morgan's eyes widened in panic. "Um, oh, I really shouldn't have mentioned that. We're not suppose to bother you." He looked away, clenching his hands together. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't worry about it. Apparently I'm 21, so I should be able to handle it."  
  
"Apparently?"  
  
Draco smiled and exhaled a stream of smoke. "I'll have to be honest, I usually still consider myself to be 16." His smile got more mischievous. "That doesn't say much for Harry now does it?"  
  
Morgan smiled back, though still a little panicked. "I'm glad you guys got back together. He was hell to be around until a few weeks ago."  
  
"Really?" Draco jumped down and pulled up a chair. "Do tell me more."  
  
Morgan laughed softly and blushed a little under Draco's gaze. "Um, he was all sulky and kept yelling at the slightest mistake that anyone made. He'd been that way since you, er, Mortel, was arrested."  
  
"I'll bet, all that sexual frustration." Draco said, being only semi- serious. "I'm surprised he wasn't wandering around screaming 'Constant Vigilance' at everyone."  
  
"Ah, yes. Mad Eye Moody. One of the most interesting teachers Hogwarts ever had. The fake one and the real one."  
  
"Yeah. I remember thinking about half way through fifth year that I really missed the fake Moody." Draco tossed his cigarette into the sink where it went out with a hiss. "So, you went to Hogwarts?"  
  
Morgan nodded. "I was in Ravenclaw." He said stiffly.  
  
Draco frowned, trying to picture the table, which wasn't too hard considering it had only been about three months since he could remember seeing it. "I don't remember you."  
  
"I know." Morgan said, sounding quite bitter. "Er, I mean, you said that last time too."  
  
"Well, you're what? Recruit Training isn't until your second year, so you must be around 19? That would have made you about 14 from what I *can* remember." Draco frowned but had to shake his head in the end. "Sorry, but I had other things on my mind at the time."  
  
Morgan smiled bitterly. "Yeah. The war, Harry, you've said it all before, so don't worry about it." The younger man shifted uncomfortably.  
  
The front door was heard to open and a few moments later Harry rushed in panting. "Sorry, sorry. I meant to be home in time to introduce you, but things are so busy."  
  
Draco smiled and accepted the kiss he was offered. "That's okay. I was just getting to know Morgan, all over again."  
  
"And as much as I hate to break it up, Morgan, sorry, but all the Recruits - In - Training have been ordered back to the Ministry. It looks like they *are* going to be doing some premature graduating."  
  
Morgan packed all his things up in a few seconds, gave a nod to both and rushed out.  
  
"Premature graduating?" Draco asked as Harry headed for the bedroom to get changed and he followed, grabbing up his bag.  
  
"Yeah. The Ministry need everyone that they can get, out on the streets and looking for ... " Harry trailed off and bit his lip.  
  
"Mortel, yeah got it. Morgan said the killings had started again."  
  
Harry spun around looking furious. "That little bastard! I'll fucking kill him!"  
  
"Whoa, Harry. Jesus. I can cope with it okay? You guys don't have to dance around me or anything. Well, *you* could if you wanted to, so long as it involved removing clothes." Draco smirked. "Yours, mine, both, I don't really mind."  
  
Harry chuckled and went to say something but Draco cut him off. "But not tonight. You look like hell, Potter." He gently ruffled Harry's hair. "Have a shower and get some sleep, okay?"  
  
Harry smiled gratefully, deposited his wand on his bed side table and disappeared into the bathroom. "I love how you do that too!" His voice shouted out over the noise of the shower.  
  
"Do what?" Draco threw his bag across the room and on to the desk, causing it to crash loudly.  
  
"Don't throw your bag at the desk, you could break your wand! I love how you can tell what kind of night it's going to be, you know, whether I'm too tired or not! Or too moody! And I love how you order me to get some sleep!"  
  
Draco pulled off his shirt and tossed it through the open door to the bathroom. "Anyone with one eye that barely ever opened would see that you've been working too hard! You're going to run your self into the ground!" He shed his trousers, leaving them on the floor and hopped into bed.  
  
The sound of the shower stopped and soon after, a naked Harry walked out and crawled into bed too. His hair was still a little damp when he hopped in though, which Draco had decided was a trait he hated. He couldn't explain it, he just didn't like Harry's hair to be wet in bed. Harry yawned and ran his hand through his hair. "Oh, sorry." Wand was retrieved and Harry dried his hair.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that Harry had done that even though he hadn't told him about the wet hair thing yet.  
  
He just rolled to his side and looked out the window, feeling slightly restless. Harry curled up behind him, his breath blowing over Draco's neck. "Night, Ko." A soft kiss to his back.  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that Harry hadn't spent a single night at Hermione and Ron's since three weeks ago when they had slept together for the first time after the whole possessed incident.  
  
He just closed his eyes and smiled a little.  
  
Draco pretended not to notice that he'd never felt better than in those three weeks.  
  
He just drifted off to sleep, hoping for some nice dreams.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	16. Part Fifteen : I See You

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Violence, death and stalking! Not too graphic though.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Fifteen. I See You  
  
Draco opened his eyes and breathed out slowly. It was completely dark in his room, aside from a few stars he could see through the window, and he judged it to be about three in the morning.  
  
His skin was still tingling from his dream. Of warm blood, and tears mixed in there as well. Something about death, and Harry had been whispering at him, but he couldn't remember the words. Hermione had slapped him for something, and not the kind of slap a thirteen year old would give, but the kind where it feels like your face has exploded and your neck cracks because your head turns so much from the impact. She had been angry, but he didn't know why in his dream.  
  
And something else. Something about the shadows whispering to him, that he had to go somewhere, do something, but he couldn't remember that very well either. He just knew it had been important. The shadows had whispered that he had to go down. Go down to somewhere. He had been walking along in them, and they had whispered that he had to go down. That he had to go for the blood. Go down for the blood.  
  
Draco shivered, even though it was a fairly warm night. He sat up and located his trousers, pulling them on quickly.  
  
Harry shifted next to him. "You going, Ko?" He murmured sleepily.  
  
"Yeah, just go back to sleep. I'll make you breakfast when I get back." Draco kissed him on the forehead and grabbed a clean shirt out of the wardrobe before heading out quietly. Harry was asleep again before he even left the room.  
  
----------  
  
Mortel watched him quietly.  
  
Draco was very beautiful and Mortel would think it to be a shame to disturb such a peaceful moment like this. The blonde was sitting in his hideaway, watching the clouds pass in front of the stars.  
  
Mortel was sitting a little way down, watching the blonde.  
  
He knew it was dangerous to be this close, but he had just missed the man so much, he knew he had to be near him, if only for a few moments.  
  
Things were going well. He smiled as he thought about all those people running around in a frenzy, trying to find him. Trying to stop him. He was offended at that, wondering why they didn't know he was invincible. He reasoned that he must be, after all. They hadn't got him yet.  
  
And it certainly didn't look like they were going to.  
  
Mortel still wasn't happy with how things had first turned out with Draco and Harry. But he was going to make up for it. This time it wouldn't go wrong. This time everything would be just fine. He knew where he had made the mistakes the last time and he wasn't going to do it again.  
  
This time it was going to be perfection.  
  
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Draco stood up and brushed himself off before he searched for his portkey. His thinking session hadn't helped much in the way of dealing with the dream he'd had. It had been the first since Harry had moved back in and had been much stronger than any of the others.  
  
He understood what it was basically. Mortel deciding he wanted to kill one night. But he wasn't sure why the shadows had whispered to him. At first he thought maybe that was how Mortel operated. By listening to the voices when they told him to kill. By going where they said the target would be.  
  
He couldn't explain it, but that just hadn't seemed right. As if somewhere deep in his mind, he knew more than it was letting on right now. Which was entirely possible, though Dumbledore still had no news as to what to expect post-possession.  
  
And Hermione being angry at him had probably been when they all thought he had hurt Ron. That made sense. He just wished he could understand the shadows. And that he could remember what Harry had whispered to him.  
  
But he hadn't been able to think properly at all that night. He could help but think that something was wrong. He looked over his shoulder and tried to see through the shadows. Everything looked normal.  
  
Something felt very wrong.  
  
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Mortel quietly followed at a safe distance not wanting to alert Draco's suspicions. He just didn't understand why people kept trying to keep them apart. Especially Harry.  
  
Harry had made Mortel give up Draco, but not forever. Mortel could get him back, he had everything worked out. He knew that Draco would walk around the park before going home, so he had time to finish off his latest piece of work. This one was going to be spectacular.  
  
He left Draco sitting on the park bench next to the lake and went to his own secret place. He could hear their soft cries before he'd even gone into the building. He opened the door and smiled in at them, though he knew they didn't know he had left, let alone returned.  
  
Two small boys, about 12, one blonde and one with black hair, huddled together against the wall. He went over and touched the blonde, making him clutch his friend and sob harder. Mortel thought it strange how people panicked more when they couldn't see or hear, but he loved to listen to the sounds they made.  
  
He picked them both up and slowly took them to the park he had left Draco in, but to a completely different part, not wanting to be interrupted. He placed them on the ground and slowly took their shirts off, humming as he did it. Taking pity on them, he restored their sight and hearing, but took their voices, figuring it would help calm them so they wouldn't ruin what he had planned.  
  
"You have to be still, for me, okay?" He smiled and they cringed. "The two of you have been best friends forever. Always together, throwing everyone else aside and ignoring them." The smile left his face. "Well, now you get to die together. Together forever. Isn't that what you wanted?"  
  
He flicked the wand and they were pinned to the ground by their hands, their faces contorting with their pain. He brought the knife out of his bag and looked at it carefully, making sure it was perfectly clean. He brought it down to the blonde's chest and painstakingly made the first few incisions.  
  
He made sure that the twist and turns the boy created didn't ruin his work and soon he moved on to the boy with black hair. The same attentive care was applied for the markings on his chest too and in a little while everything was perfect.  
  
He sat back and smiled. The boys were breathing heavily now, trying to squirm away, but the large, thick nails through their palms kept them from getting anywhere. Mortel always made sure of that with a few well placed charms.  
  
The blonde haired boy had the word 'Forever' written across his chest, but the spilling blood did have a tendency to pull the words out of shape, making them look odd. The black haired boy had the word 'Never' written across his. They both had the number 4 sliced into their stomachs below their respective words.  
  
Mortel raised the knife to the black haired boy's neck and dug it in, which caused more struggling. A different smile, hard, cold and destructive crossed his face as he dragged the knife across the smooth skin. The blonde started to cry as blood ebbed from his friend's throat. The boy with black hair tried to raise his hands to clutch at his throat but eventually the green eyes flickered shut. His struggling stopped.  
  
Mortel turned his attention to the blonde who wasn't even trying to get away, just lying there, silent tears rolling down the sides of his face and into his ears. He didn't even twitch when the knife was pressed into his own, soft, pale skin. The tears came faster as the cut extended across his throat.  
  
His hands finally tried to move and his chest moved up and down erratically but as the blood poured out, the flow got slower and the frantic movements stopped. Mortel closed the pale blue eyes with his fingers, as the blonde's last breath left his body.  
  
Mortel smiled and dipped his fingers into the blonde's blood, bringing it to his lips and licking it off slowly. He got to his feet slowly and packed all his things away. "Forever for never." He whispered to the still bodies. "Never for forever." He thought the words to be rather cute. Very fitting.  
  
He turned away and started walking to the lake, wanting to find Draco again. "Never for forever. Draco was mine, and I'll get him back."  
  
----------  
  
Draco sighed and stood up. Even the lake wasn't helping him think. He didn't know what was wrong but he knew he had to figure it out soon. He was sure it wasn't Harry and the speedy way the other man had reinstated himself in Draco's life. The blonde actually liked that. They didn't say anything, it had just happened and he wasn't complaining.  
  
He walked back to his building and hopped into the elevator. As the doors closed he finally felt as if everything was okay. The nagging feeling had subdued slightly while he was at the park, but not all of it was gone. Then it had returned in full force while he was sitting, just staring at the lake, so he had decided home was the best course of action.  
  
The elevator opened on his floor and he walked to his door. The feeling came back as he got his keys out and he looked down the hall to his left. He tried to see into the shadows. He took a deep breath, deciding that he was going nuts from a stupid dream. A hand fell on his shoulder and he nearly screamed.  
  
Instead of a scream he let out a hiss, drew his wand and turned his head to his right, where Morgan jumped back and looked embarrassed. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Um, I need to speak with Harry. Right now. In fact it'll be better if he gets up altogether."  
  
He didn't want to know so Draco just nodded and opened his door, walking into the kitchen as Morgan rushed to the bedroom to get Harry up. He quietly made up a ham and cheese sandwich, cutting it in half and wrapping one part.  
  
A frantic Morgan and fully dressed Harry made their way back out and Draco handed Harry the wrapped half of the sandwich, shoving the other half into Harry's mouth. The man uttered a muffled 'Thanks' and rushed out the door as Draco started a sandwich for himself.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	17. Part Sixteen : Killing Me Softly

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle if you made it through the last few chaps.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Sixteen. Killing Me Softly.  
  
Not even the stupidest person in the world could miss that Harry was getting increasingly edgy, so Draco sure didn't. He did what he could to try and relax his lover, but nothing seemed to work very well. Harry wouldn't discuss the Mortel case with him, and it looked as if that was the only one anyone was working on. Morgan was usually over most nights and the two of them sat in the living room, muttering to each other, which annoyed the hell out of the blonde.  
  
He didn't like to sit around doing nothing when something was clearly 'going on' just like Harry had said. But he had stood at the door most nights, listening to what they were saying. It didn't help much, but it gave him the feeling of not being completely left out.  
  
Harry didn't want 'to worry him' as was put every time he asked about the case, a trait Draco loathed to the point of almost punching the other man whenever it was mumbled at him. They would always fall silent when he went into the room, something else the blonde was hating.  
  
So, he came up with a solution one night. Harry never took *all* of his paperwork during the day, that meant it was simply a matter of waiting until the next day and breaking the locking charms.  
  
Which is exactly what he did the second Harry walked out the door. Well, that's what he tried at any rate, it actually took him about twenty five minutes to break the spells but finally he was victorious and the box lay quietly on the floor. The smoking would pass, the blonde decided and he lifted the lid off.  
  
He lifted out all the folders, noting they were all dated and in order, for when he wanted to return them. He felt slightly guilty about going through Harry's things, but reasoned that he had a right to know what he'd almost been put to death for.  
  
He reached for the one with the earliest date and recognised the name on the front. Samuel Matthews. The name Dumbledore had asked him about that day he had woken up. It was dated only a few days after he and Harry had moved in together.  
  
He opened it up to find the preliminary report, date, time, statistics of the boy, basically all the uninteresting stuff and quickly flipped that page over. Muggle photos had obviously been introduced into the Wizarding world, because none of them in the file moved at all. The first one was of the crime scene and Draco looked at the young boy who had been nailed to a wall with his throat slit. It didn't bother him as much as it should have, he had seen some people do worse. He picked up the next photo.  
  
It was a close up of the artificial scar that had been cut into the boy's forehead. That annoying prickling sensation started up in the back of Draco's mind. The one he had gotten constantly until he had settled into his apartment. He justified that it was only natural that he'd experience it with this sort of thing too.  
  
Next photo was a close up of the slit across the boy's throat, not interesting, so Draco moved on. The last photo in the file was of words that had been written across the wall in what Draco assumed to be the boy's own blood.  
  
It would be hours until Harry was home so he didn't have to worry to much about that, but he did set up a warning system in case anyone should come over. He flipped to the next page and got settled on the carpet comfortably. It was a hand written report, most likely Harry's personal opinions about what could be going on.  
  
He tried to imagine what it must have been like for Harry, an Auror Trainee, to see a small black haired, green eyed boy with a lightning bolt scar, nailed to a wall with his throat slit. Then he tried to picture how Mortel-Draco would have reacted. He knew the real Draco would have seethed, mostly in silence, as he had a very hostile protective streak when something or someone he cared strongly about was threatened.  
  
And Draco certainly saw this as a threat. Harry must have too, given the tone the report was written in.  
  
'In accordance to Auror Training Protocol 83 that states all Trainees must be allowed to view formal case files on request, the first year Trainees Group that I belong to, was granted permission to observe Case File 343042779. I have requested that I receive copies of all material once I have graduated. This is still a pending matter.  
  
It is in my opinion that someone intended for me to know of this case as I learned of this case by an anonymous note that had been left in my letter box at my London apartment.  
  
Surely only the killer could have done this, and I am working with my friends during our own time to see if we can come up with a list of possible suspects. Any ideas shall be passed on to our superiors.'  
  
Draco closed his eyes, picturing Mortel-Draco sitting around with Harry and Hermione, trying to work out who it could be. "Arsehole." He muttered and flicked to the next page. It was clearly his own writing, he and Harry must have pooled their efforts together.  
  
'In accordance to Auror Training Protocol 83 that states all Trainees must be allowed to view formal case files on request, the first year Trainees Group that I belong to, was granted permission to observe Case File 343042779. I have requested that I receive copies of all material once I have graduated. This is still a pending matter.  
  
Someone's fucking with my boyfriend and I don't like it. If the gutless little prick doesn't come forward, I'll hunt him down and give him a few scars of his own, arrogant fucking bastard.  
  
I don't like the anonymous note thing. I don't like the connection to Harry. I don't like the bloody words written on the wall and I sure as fuck don't like the subliminal message in the case file number.  
  
Change the number or I'll'  
  
It looked almost as if some one had ripped the paper away as he wrote, a long line dragged from near the last word to almost the edge of the page. Draco smirked, he knew what he could be like when he was in protective mode and that sounded exactly like something he would have written, handing it in to his superiors or not. He looked at the case file number in confusion though. He couldn't see anything wrong with it and shrugged.  
  
He closed up that folder and moved to the next in line. It was dated almost a year after Samuel Matthews. More photos, this time a girl who couldn't have been more than six. Basically the same, but no scar this time. He flicked to the writings, Harry's first.  
  
'It is believed this is the work of the same killer from the unsolved Case File 343042779. Same method of execution, with possible Muggle Religion connections, as seen with the nailing of the hands.  
  
No words, or scars this time but the young, muggle girl had been under observation for acceptation to a Wizarding School once she reached of age, just as Samuel Matthews had been accepted to Hogwarts only days before his death.'  
  
Draco slowly went through all the files as Harry pondered on who the killer could be and through his theories. From that it was someone who worked at the Ministry all the way to his theory of mental illnesses such as split personality or schizophrenia.  
  
The theories written in Draco's hand writing were less colourful. Sticking to the traditional, jealousy, hate, and obsession arguments. He couldn't help but agree with those, but he was partial to the paranoia one Harry had written down. Something about that seemed to make sense, and as it had been the killer that had written and collaborated with Harry on these, then he had to concede that they held some merit.  
  
He looked them over and studied the facts. Most of the victims had been young, only two that he had the files of, had been over fourteen. Most of them were muggle borns or muggles, so it didn't look like Mortel wanted to take on a fully grown wizard.  
  
Draco considered that rather cowardly for a cold-blooded killer and made a note to tell Mortel that when the bastard was trapped.  
  
Considering his past, he could see how people had been so ready to believe it had been him. He used to be a cowardly, spoilt, muggle-hating and mudblood-hating prick, but the war had forced everyone to either grow up or die. Most people just didn't know that about him.  
  
He hadn't even much cared about the whole mudblood - pureblood thing when Mortel had taken over his body. Draco snickered while he packed the files away, as he remembered he'd had a rather surprising crush on Hermione after that time she had slapped him in third year. Something about the way her eyes had fired up, making her look alive and vibrant.  
  
Or something about the way his face had burned after the slap. He had discovered he quite liked the stinging pain. After that, Draco had always had a thing about pain.  
  
Which was probably the reason his friends had thought it might have been him. But the thing that was confusing him, and had been for awhile now that he was back into the swing of things and curious about his past, was why they hadn't found out about Mortel when he had been given Veritaserum at his trail.  
  
Harry never spoke about the trail and few other people knew much about it. He considered asking his parents or Professor Snape, but decided to leave it for awhile. Harry still got this odd look on pain and guilt whenever Draco tried to bring it up, and he hated seeing that.  
  
His parents would just rant and rave about the Ministry's unfairness towards anyone with the last name Malfoy despite everything they had done during the war. That was something about the slight oversight Lucius had when he tried to get Dumbledore fired during Draco's second year.  
  
And Professor Snape never liked to speak about the Ministry ever, about anything. Something about the teacher's own past made Draco stay silent, not wanting to agitate someone who had helped him so much.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	18. Part Seventeen : Your Father's Son

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Seventeen. Your Father's Son.  
  
Harry was in an even worse mood over the next few weeks and it was really starting to get to Draco. He tried to be supportive. He tried to be understanding. But it was all rather difficult as he didn't know much of what was happening now. He could guess, given what he now knew about the past murders, but it wasn't quite the same.  
  
Another night when Harry finally came home at one in the morning, waking Draco up as the black haired man stomped around the bedroom muttering under his voice.  
  
"Bad night, Harry?" Draco asked as gently as he could, hoping to get the other man to talk about it and stop bottling it all up. It only ever made Harry worse when that was done.  
  
"What the fuck do you think?" Was spat back at him.  
  
Draco let it go, but it wasn't easy. "Well, just get some sleep, maybe you'll feel better in the morning?"  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
Draco sighed and spoke in a tired voice. "Don't take it out on me, just try and relax."  
  
A drawer was slammed shut and Harry turned to look at him. "Don't tell me to fucking relax! I know what I'm doing!"  
  
"Then why are you going through your drawers? You sleep naked or had you forgotten that?"  
  
"I'm not the one who goes around forgetting everything!"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, give it a rest. Okay, so I can't fucking remember about four and a half years of my life. Not my fault."  
  
"No! It's not is it!" Another drawer slammed and Harry leant his elbows on the top, sighing. "Sorry." He muttered softly. "I'm just tired."  
  
"I know, come on. Come here." Draco stretched his hand out and Harry took it, allowing Draco to pull him over to the bed.  
  
"I just wish we could get the bastard."  
  
"Yeah, I want to get my hands on him too, well, at least throw a few hexes at his ethereal form. Probably shouldn't hurt the body he's now in. Would seem hypocritical on my part to blame the vessel."  
  
Harry didn't say anything, just shifted to his side of the bed and took his clothes off so he could lie down. Draco again got the feeling that there was something Harry wasn't saying about Mortel, when he did speak of it anyway.  
  
He had the nasty suspicion that Mortel had said or done something of importance to Harry before exiting and drifting off to continue his killing spree. And it was something Harry didn't want to repeat. The feeling of Harry keeping something back was getting more and more obvious and starting to grate on his patience. But Draco didn't ask, just gave him the time he needed. For now anyway,  
  
"It's getting worse?"  
  
Harry gave a grunt that could have been either a yes or a no.  
  
"You don't have to spare me the details, Harry. I can handle it."  
  
"I don't want to bother you."  
  
"Oh come on! I've seen worse during the war."  
  
"Seen worse than what?" Harry looked at him suspiciously. "How would you know what you might hear if I told you?"  
  
"I went through the case files." Draco said bluntly.  
  
Harry sat up and stared down at him incredulously. "You did what? Why!"  
  
"Because I'm tired of being left out. You and Morgan sit around mumbling to each other, except when I walk into the room. Then you both go silent and it's really insulting. I'm not a kid Harry, I'm 21. Even if I do consider myself to be 16, I can still cope, okay?"  
  
Harry lay back down, obviously annoyed but Draco couldn't be bothered to care right now. "You shouldn't have done that."  
  
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't treat me like I'm a baby."  
  
"I don't."  
  
"Of course you do. Why else would you keep all this stuff from me?"  
  
Harry just rolled to his side, facing away from Draco.  
  
"How come Ron's attack wasn't in the file? It seemed to be all the things before I was arrested, but his wasn't there."  
  
No answer.  
  
"Harry, I'm warning you. Tell me."  
  
"Because Ron's attack was when Mortel was apprehended. It got transferred to the trial folder as direct evidence and taken out of the Case Files." Came the reluctant reply.  
  
"Speaking of my trial ..... "  
  
"Can we not do this right now?"  
  
"No, I'm awake now, so let's. Speaking of my trial, I couldn't find your copy of it, I'm sure you have one."  
  
"I usually have it with me. It's at Hermione's right now, she needed a copy."  
  
"Why wasn't Mortel discovered when Veritaserum was utilised?"  
  
Harry didn't say anything.  
  
"Harry." Draco growled out. "Why wasn't he discovered then."  
  
"Because they didn't give you any Veritaserum. I'm going to sleep now and not answering any more of your stupid questions."  
  
Draco stared at his back in shock and then turned his gaze to the ceiling. He didn't go back to sleep that night.  
  
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"No, Mum, I'm fine. There's no need to yell. No, don't go get my father, look I just want to know one thing. Why didn't they give me Veritaserum at my trial?" Draco was lying on the kitchen counter talking to his mother on the phone. "What do you mean you don't know? How is that possible?" More yelling in his ear so he sat up. "MUM! Don't yell, I can hear you just fine if you talk normally. Yes, yes, muggle technology is fascinating. Why, what did you say as you tried to destroy my ear drum?"  
  
"I said, darling, that they wouldn't tell us why they didn't give it to you. That's why we thought it was so unfair."  
  
"Oh god, please don't start the 'Unfair' speech again. So they just said they weren't giving it to me, but they wouldn't say why?"  
  
"That's about it, darling. Are you sure you don't want me to get your father?"  
  
"It's fine mum, and don't call me darling. Look I have to go, it's my practical day at Hogwarts, I was just wondering if you knew."  
  
"Sorry I couldn't help Draco darling, but good luck and do try and keep in touch."  
  
"Yeah, okay, fine mum, bye." He hung up before she could start another sentence figuring he could blame in on the muggle technology if she asked about it later.  
  
Steel purred and walked around his feet as he got everything ready for his classes. Harry, of course, was already gone. Draco scratched the cat under his chin.  
  
"Hey boy. Wanna go back to Professor Snape? See all those lovely children?"  
  
Steel hopped on to the bed and curled up. Draco took that as a no and smirked. He grabbed his keys as he passed the table and checked Harry had put up the ward so he could leave on of the windows open for the cat. He headed out, making a mental note to ask Snape if he wanted his cat back anyway.  
  
----------  
  
"Hey sir." Draco was already sitting in his chair and having a drink by the time Snape arrived at his rooms.  
  
"Mister Malfoy, I do believe you run to get to my alcohol, that can't be a good sign."  
  
"Well, after a whole day of students, can you blame me?" Draco handed over the second glass.  
  
"Hardly."  
  
"Want a cat?"  
  
"Annoying you, is he?"  
  
"Nah, just figured you might want him back. I've had him for months now and I'm doing much better."  
  
"Yes, and rumour has it that your apartment isn't so lonely anymore." Snape said dryly. "From what I hear in any event."  
  
"I don't talk about Harry that much." Draco sulked and finished off his drink. "So, do you want him? Steel that is, not Harry. You can't have him."  
  
"How disappointing." Snape said sarcastically. "Well, I could certainly live without him for a few more weeks. It's so refreshing to not have a mass of hair leap at you when he wants to go outside to play. And he does that no matter what I'm doing at the time. Teaching, reading ......... sleeping." Snape growled out the last word and Draco snickered.  
  
"We just leave a window open for him. I guess that could be a problem down here."  
  
"Indeed. So, how are things going between you and Harry?" Snape poured Draco another drink.  
  
Draco shrugged. "He's keeping things from me, I can tell. And I don't like it much either. It's been getting worse lately. Like, the more time he's with me, the less he actually tells me. It's as frustrating as hell. And I'm really sick of his 'I don't want to worry you' excuse."  
  
"Perhaps if you went another way. Would anyone else be able to tell you what you need to know?"  
  
"I actually wanted to ask you a few things, but didn't want to bother you."  
  
"Ask away. I have no problems with helping you."  
  
Draco finished his drink and looked his ex-teacher in the eye. "Do you know why the Ministry didn't give me Veritaserum for my trial?"  
  
Snape raised an eyebrow. "He wouldn't tell you that?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Because in your final year at Hogwarts Dumbledore and I taught a few select students how to disable it in their system. You were one of them and the Ministry didn't trust you to not do it, so it was deemed redundant. Your trial was then based on the evidence."  
  
"It can be beaten? I didn't know that."  
  
"Oddly enough, the Ministry don't want that to be public knowledge. The truth serum became very popular with Voldemort, and he administered it for the slightest thing. You had to be taught of course, to help protect your place and a few of the other students needed it in case they were ever captured."  
  
"The Gryffindors. Namely, Harry, Hermione and Ron."  
  
"As well as Harry's roommates, the entire Weasley clan, Miss Parkinson and the younger Crabbe and Goyle. And a number of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were found to be very useful as well, so they were taught."  
  
"I got a letter a few days ago from Vincent. He seems to be doing well. Funny really, when I had to make it look like they were my friends, I couldn't stand them, but they don't seem too bad now."  
  
"Yes, forcing people to do things usually makes them hate it."  
  
"So it wasn't all a plot against the Malfoys as my parents keep saying?" Draco smirked and refilled his glass.  
  
"I think people are still very sensitive about the incident in your second year. That may have had something to do with it."  
  
"Ah yes. The Heir of Slytherin. Was rather foolish of my father to send that book along to school, without knowing what it could actually do."  
  
"Yes, but I believe the chance of both getting Dumbledore fired and embarrassing the Weasleys at the same time, overcame the small amount of common sense he actually does hold. He should have put a stop to it, though."  
  
"Yeah, but he couldn't just stand up and say 'Whoops, sorry about that' when things started to get really bad. It wouldn't look that good. He truly does hate Dumbledore doesn't he?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Perhaps you should ask him that one."  
  
"Perhaps I shall." Draco finished off his drink and stood up. "Sorry I can't stay for long today, but I should get home and yell at Harry so more. Not that it's likely he'll be back before sunrise tomorrow, so I don't know why I bother." He scowled. "Mortel's a real prick."  
  
"Very well."  
  
"Bye, sir! I'll give your love to Steel!" Draco heard a snort of laughter as he closed the door behind him.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	19. Part Eighteen : When Angels Cry

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings:  
  
.  
  
.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Eighteen. When Angels Cry.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
Draco looked up sullenly. Hermione, Ron and Morgan were all over for the night so the blonde had relegated himself to the bedroom. "What?"  
  
"Would you like to come out? We're discussing the case."  
  
"Need a reason to fall silent do you?"  
  
"No, Ko, come on." Harry held his hand out and smiled. "No more sheltering, I promise."  
  
Draco smiled and leapt off the bed. "Well, it's about god damn time." He gave Harry a quick kiss and wandered out to where everyone was sitting on the living room floor. "Evening all." He said brightly as he took his place next to Morgan and Harry sat down at his other side.  
  
"Well, look who's not sulking and whining all of a sudden." Ron said and then ignored it when the blonde stuck his tongue out. "Okay, you can look at all the other files another time, right now we are focusing on these two."  
  
Draco accepted the folders and opened them up, flipping straight to the photos. One held photos of an elderly woman, numbers scrawled on the wall. The second folder caused a low growl as he stared at the two small boys. He wasn't stupid so he didn't miss the connection. He didn't understand the words but that wasn't what was on his mind the most.  
  
Hermione cleared her throat. "The numbers with Mrs Starler is a date. The date of when she died. We only found her a week ago. Um," Draco watched as she looked to Harry who gave a nod. "The date is the night you came home after being at Azkaban."  
  
He nodded slowly. "Obviously, Mortel wasn't happy that I lived, all that trouble of leaving, and I lived because of it. Starler? Isn't that our neighbour?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Well, she was."  
  
Draco studied the photos of the boys closely. "They were both crying. They still look so scared, just the way their bodies are lying. Stiff, and I don't mean from the rigor mortis, like they were lying very still before they died." He frowned and bit his lip. "It almost looks familiar, like something I should know. The blood, it trickled down, lots of it did." He sat back and rested on the side of the couch. "Oh, I see it now. They were still alive when he cut them."  
  
Hermione frowned. "Are you sure?"  
  
Draco nodded. "Yeah, it's different when you cut someone when they're dead."  
  
"How would you know?" Ron asked, looking wary.  
  
"Hello, former Death Eater. I've tortured people before. Probably more than I can remember, technically. But, I did a couple before Mortel took over. Enough to know how blood acts."  
  
Ron went slightly pale and looked down to his hands. "How lovely."  
  
Draco shrugged. "It was either that or I died. Besides, I made sure it wasn't too bad. But I never killed anyone. I have cut people who were already dead, though."  
  
Harry sat up straighter, something Draco didn't miss. "Yeah, well, we'll have people look into whether or not they were alive for it. This one was planned, and planned well. Some others seem to be random, like he just decides to do it."  
  
"Like he needs it." Draco muttered, making everyone look to him. "Like a drug." He thought back to the whispers in his dreams. Go down for the blood. "This one was just for show. Look at it. Despite the words being cut in and everything it's not very, what's the word ...... brutal. Ever since the first murder they progressively got more vicious. But the two you have showed me, they seem more like he's trying to get our attention, not that it's what he suddenly needs."  
  
"Are you saying that sometimes, he just gets a kick out of killing?" Morgan asked, leaning forward and not taking his eyes off the blonde. "And other times, he's just toying with us?"  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
"Draco had this same theory last time. Oh, wait, sorry, I probably should refer to it as Mortel, at least for this." Hermione was flicking through a large stack of papers that Draco assumed to be her musings on the subject. "Yes, here it is. Draco, er Mortel spoke of the murderer needing to kill to gain some sort of release." She handed it around but Draco didn't bother to read it.  
  
"Do you keep notes on everything?"  
  
She smiled softly. "Of course. I record every word that is said then transcribe them later. I find it useful to look over them."  
  
"What kind of release?" Morgan asked as he read.  
  
Ron snorted. "What does it matter what he said to us? I doubt very much that Mortel would tell us how to find him."  
  
Draco looked over. "Why not? It all depends on how arrogant he is. And it'll probably only get worse." They all looked to him this time. "He got away with it. Hell, he nearly had me executed for it all, and if we're not careful, he'll get away with it again."  
  
Hermione shook her head. "No, all Aurors are now issued with Spirit Trappers, if he tries to leave the body he's occupying, we can catch him."  
  
"That's great, but what if he doesn't want to leave the body? Do you have something to take care of that?"  
  
She looked away. "They're working on that possibility."  
  
"How reassuring. Now, since I have returned to the world of controlling my own flesh, has anyone reported anyone being .... odd?"  
  
"What do you mean? In case you weren't aware Draco, Mortel is good at emulating his host." Ron was writing his own report, or at least doodling.  
  
"Yeah, but he has to go out for his happy hunting sessions sometime. No one has reported a change of sleeping habits with their friends or family? Surely that might raise some concern."  
  
"Not that we know of." Harry shuffled over and rested his head on Draco's shoulder. "But that's a good point."  
  
"Oh come on! You people have been hunting this prick down for the last three years, what have you been doing for all this time?" He shifted his arm to go around Harry's shoulders.  
  
"Well, the sleeping thing is only a new angle. All the murders before, happened when you went for one of your walks."  
  
Draco thought about that for a second before nodding. "That makes sense. Pretty good cover for him really, me going for those breaks. Makes me kind of mad at me."  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Draco." Ron looked rather reluctant at saying it, but the redhead still gave a tight smile.  
  
Draco let it pass without comment, but only because Harry whispered 'Please don't' in his ear. "And maybe you should make a list of all the people that were at Azkaban around the time when he left me. He had to go somewhere, and he might have wanted it to be quick." They all nodded quietly, making a note of it. "I'll need to read through the other reports, but I'd like to help. Even if it isn't my job anymore."  
  
"You have every right to help if you want." Harry gave him a kiss on the cheek. "After all, the prick nearly got you killed. I just didn't want to interfere with your school stuff, or maybe even trigger memories of it all. I'm sorry." Draco nodded, accepting the apology and Harry brightened up. "Let's call it for the killer."  
  
So everyone started to pack up for the night, wanting to talk of more cheerful things, with the time they had left.  
  
"They look so sad." Morgan was flicking through the photos. He came to the two boys again. "So young." He put them back in the folder and took a sip of his drink.  
  
"Yeah but let's leave it for now. No good dwelling on it every second or we'll burn out." Harry said around a yawn.  
  
"Yeah. So, Draco, how everything going in your side of the world."  
  
Draco smiled. "School sucks. The teachers, except for Snape, all tip toe around me and the students are terrified of me."  
  
Morgan rolled his eyes. "My brother, who's in the sixth year, says you carry a knife around. I think you want them scared of you."  
  
Harry gave Draco a reproachful look which was ignored. Hermione giggled and Ron took it rather well, giving his own smile.  
  
"Well, maybe." Draco smirked. "You have to remember, the last time I went through school even most of Slytherin were terrified of me, what with the war on and my father and everything."  
  
"Ron was stunned the day it was officially announced that Lucius had been a spy, helping the fight against Voldemort." Hermione stood up to get more drinks. "In fact, most of the world was. Why wasn't it announced the first time around?"  
  
"There were a few reasons. Like how everyone thought that maybe Voldemort would return, because while the Dark Marks had faded greatly they weren't completely gone. And then there was the fact that Snape had already been revealed as a spy and Dumbledore didn't want the Ministry to know all the facts, again just in case. And the last reason was because there wasn't much physical evidence that would support it. Well, not enough for my father to avoid prison time that way, so they had to use the Imperios line instead."  
  
"And that worked?"  
  
Draco titled his head. "Well, no, not really, not on it's own anyhow. Ironic really, that my father while truly innocent had to admit guilt to certain Ministry officials and then bribe them in order to stay out of jail."  
  
"Bribery? That's awful." Hermione handed out the new drinks.  
  
"Yeah, but don't worry. When Lucius was cleared of all wrong doing, those officials were charged with corruption." Harry smiled at the surprised looking Draco.  
  
"Were they? Well, that's good. I didn't know that. What else happened when Voldemort fell?"  
  
Morgan perked up. "There was a huge party at Hogwarts for all the students. That was a great time. That was the night before the rest of the school found out you and Harry were together, so when you think back on it, the yelling match you had was quite funny. At one point you called Harry a fag and he just dissolved into laughter. It was confusing for us poor people who had no idea what was really going on between you two."  
  
"Yelling match?"  
  
Ron raised his drink high. "Yeah and it didn't end there. I was in such a good mood that it was over and that Harry survived, I decided to pour punch all over you as a prank. You played back and soon it resulted in an enormous food fight. Ah, those were the days. I miss school."  
  
Draco let his eyes widen to their limit. "Dear god, Weasley, missing school? So much has changed since I've been away." He said playfully to which Ron stuck his tongue out.  
  
"You know what I mean. School was fun, except for all that nasty studying stuff. It had friends, " He waved his glass at Harry, "Enemies, " This time, at Draco, "Lovers, " He leant over and kissed Hermione gently. "None of this serial killer crap or wandering around hunting down vampires and the like."  
  
'Yeah, school was good." Morgan added. "I'm still getting used to all this stuff. I miss Hogwarts, life was simpler then. Noisy meals, exciting Quidditch matches, cute Quidditch players, lost books, hassling teachers, forgetting stuff."  
  
Ron gave a mock frown. "I don't remember any cute Quidditch players. Well there was Angelina. She was hot."  
  
Morgan blushed. "Er, yeah, I'm sure she was. I don't remember."  
  
Harry snickered. "Don't mind him Ron, apparently he discovered very early on that he liked guys. What were you? About twelve?"  
  
Morgan nodded and blushed harder. "Yeah, that is a little young but I don't know how it happened really. I was just chatting to this friend of mine, she was really pretty and I was thinking about asking her to sit with me at lunch, then this guy walked past. Suddenly my friend didn't seem so interesting any more."  
  
"It was Harry, wasn't it?" Draco asked good-naturedly. "He was always attention grabbing."  
  
Morgan shook his head slightly. "No, no, it wasn't." He wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.  
  
Draco studied him for a second before letting it go. "I remember a few nice Quidditch players myself. There was this one, I guess." He punched Harry's arm lightly. "Oh, and then there was Wood, he was hot. Gorgeous accent."  
  
Harry glared at his lover. "He's straight, so don't even think about it."  
  
"Oh, don't get so touchy, it doesn't suit you. Flint was down right ugly, but he had his own sort of dark, twisted charm." Draco thought for a moment. "Diggory was fairly good looking."  
  
Harry nodded slowly, thinking about Diggory for a second before moving on. "Flint? He had to be on of the ugliest people I've ever known. He looked part troll!"  
  
"He *was* part troll, an eighth, or something." Draco answered smoothly. "But like I said, he had his own appeal." He smirked broadly. "He had certain attributes that were quite pleasing. There's a lot to be said for being part troll." He flicked his eyebrows, if only to annoy Harry, and they all got his meaning.  
  
Harry snorted, obviously not liking the way the conversation was going. "Whatever. So Morgan, how's your collection going?"  
  
Draco laughed at Harry's reaction. "Honestly, you and your jealousy."  
  
"Shut up, new topic. Morgan?"  
  
"Oh, it's not too bad. I found this really nice one in a muggle store, but I'm having trouble getting it to cry. I can't understand it, so I've asked Hermione to check it over when she's got time."  
  
"Huh? Hello." Draco gave an exaggerated wave. "Person who has no memory of the last few years. What are you buying and why are you making it cry?"  
  
"Morgan has this fascination with weeping angels. He collects figurines and charms them to cry. It's really depressing when you visit his house." Hermione explained.  
  
Draco gave a look that showed he look that was one of the weirdest fixations he'd ever heard of and then studied the young man. He titled his head as something tickled his mind. He had a feeling that it was familiar, but something he should know, not something from the Mortel years. Suddenly he realised and his eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh my lord! That was you?"  
  
Morgan frowned for a second before he caught on. A look of panic overtook his face. "Um, no, er, shit." He swore at the carpet and didn't raise his head as Draco started to laugh a little.  
  
"Oh dear." Draco placed his hand over his mouth. "Cute Quidditch players indeed."  
  
"I can't believe you remember that." Morgan whispered, his face burning with embarrassment. "You didn't before, when it was Mortel, or if you did, you didn't say anything."  
  
"What? What? I missed something!" Harry was looking at each of them in turn as Hermione and Ron sat back looking equally confused.  
  
Draco hopped to his feet and went into his room. Sounds of rummaging could be heard and then he came back out, holding what had been his fifth year Transfiguration text book. "Valentine's Day in fifth year. Some kid walked up to me as I was going to class and shoved this card into my hand before rushing off. I didn't get a very good look at him at the time."  
  
Morgan groaned when he looked up and saw him holding the book. "Please god, don't tell me you still have it."  
  
Draco collapsed back down on to the floor and opened his book to the twelfth chapter, pulling out a card. "You bet, I do." He smiled broadly while opening the card to show the words 'Jealous angels weep because of your beauty' as Morgan buried his face in his hands. On either side of the words a beautiful angel was drawn and when Draco touched each of them, small drops of water welled up and rolled down their faces. The water disappeared when the makeshift tears reached the end of the card, only to reappear in their eyes again.  
  
"I can't believe that was you. And you say Mortel never said anything? That wouldn't be like me, so I guess he didn't know."  
  
Harry scowled as Hermione judged whether or not it was impressive a thirteen year old could do that. Ron sympathetically rubbed Morgan's back as the young man muttered things to himself.  
  
Draco tapped Morgan's shoulder, making him look up a little. "I never did get to say thanks for it. So, thank you." The blonde kissed his fingers and pressed them into the side of Morgan's forehead, causing the man to blush harder and stare at his drink.  
  
Harry folded his arms angrily, his hand twitching to go for his wand. But Draco didn't notice as he was too busy smiling at the card.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	20. Part Nineteen : My Sleeping Beauty

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: I promise, once this part and the Clean Up in the next part is over, there won't be anymore blood .... well, at least not so much. Maybe a scratch from Steel or two, but that's it.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Nineteen. My Sleeping Beauty.  
  
Hermione, Ron and Morgan bid them a good night and left shortly after the whole Valentine's Day card revelation. Harry watched them walk down the hall and into an abandoned cupboard, the unofficial place to go when you wanted to Apparate as the spells up on the apartment were still in place. The furious Gryffindor slammed the door when they were out of sight and stalked past Draco without a glance.  
  
The blonde sighed and followed his riled lover into the bedroom, where Harry continued to ignore his presence. Draco got sick of it very quickly. "You're jealous? Over Morgan? I mean, sweet guy and all, but no."  
  
"Shut up." Harry spat as he started unbuttoning his shirt, getting ready for bed.  
  
"You're being silly, Gel-C."  
  
"Do me a favour? Go fuck yourself!"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh come off it, Potter. It was just a silly card!"  
  
Harry spun around and stared accusingly, as if he had just caught Draco locked in some one else's embrace. "If it's so silly, then why keep it?"  
  
Draco smiled and hopped into bed, staying in a sitting position. "Well, for a start, I was always curious seeing as I never found out who gave it to me."  
  
"Well, now you know. Throw it out!"  
  
Draco frowned slightly. "And then there was the fact that it was really sweet."  
  
"You hate sweet!" Was the return argument.  
  
"It must have taken him a fair amount of time to make. That's very flattering and you know I love flattery."  
  
"I can flatter you." Harry's voice was almost a hiss. "You don't need him to do it."  
  
"Harry, do you have any idea how many Valentine cards I've gotten over the years? I may have been a bastard and feared by many, but I was also very good looking, if you don't mind me saying so. So because of my looks, I got an extraordinary amount of attention. But Morgan's really stood out. And he didn't mind saying that it was my looks that interested him. If I had kept every single card saying what a lovely person I was on the inside or some other rubbish, all blatant lies at the time, we'd need a much larger apartment. His was different, imaginative and intriguing. So I kept it."  
  
Harry had hopped into bed as well during Draco's little speech, but he still wasn't looking very happy. "Six years, you kept that thing." He muttered. "You never told me about it, either."  
  
"Harry, you have my word that Morgan doesn't interest me in slightest. Not that way at any rate. And if I never told you about it, that's probably because I'd forgotten all about it. It's just a nice memory." Draco decided to be underhanded, figuring the ends would justify the means. "Surely you wouldn't deny me a nice memory, after all I've been through lately."  
  
Harry abruptly turned on to his side, facing away from Draco. "Of course not." His voice was strained and Draco frowned in confusion. That hadn't been the reaction he was expecting.  
  
He leant over and kissed Harry's back. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Draco could spot a lie fairly well and didn't miss this one. "Are you upset with the whole 'I don't remember you' thing again?"  
  
Harry turned over again and shook his head, giving him a beautiful smile. "No, look, you were right. I'm being silly over a stupid card and I'm sorry, I really should try to control my jealousy." He leant over and gave him a quick kiss. "I just can't bear the idea that I'll lose you one day."  
  
Draco winced a little at the mushiness, and made a mental note that he was being distracted from his previous question with an admission of fault. He decided to examine Harry's avoidance of the subject later and stayed with how it was now. "Can you honestly think of any reason that I'd leave? Anything at all?"  
  
Harry's smile faltered briefly but then came back as he slowly shook his head. He looked uncertain and Draco put it down to another untruth. He let this one go for now as well. "Then just don't think about it." He kissed the other's forehead and lay down to go to sleep.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Mmmm?" There was nothing further so he opened his eyes to see Harry smiling softly down at him. A smile that left no room for doubt about what he wanted. Draco feigned a large sigh. "Must we?" He whined and then gave an evil smile that made Harry's breathing quicken.  
  
He stretched up and kissed Harry on the neck. "Well, I don't know." He slid down and sucked in a nipple making Harry whine. "I suppose I could endure your attentions for awhile."  
  
"You make it sound like a punishment." Harry breathed out softly.  
  
"Mmmm, punishment." He pushed Harry to lie down and straddled his hips in one quick movement, pressing down and forcing his body to accept the still hardening erection with no preparation or lubricant. He let out a hiss as he flinched. "Gotta love the pain."  
  
"Weirdo." Harry muttered, but he had given up long ago trying to convince Draco to do this any other way.  
  
----------  
  
Mortel looked down at the sleeping form quietly. He had already cast the spell that would ensure the man wouldn't wake up. This was almost the moment he had been waiting for, for over four years. He pushed the blonde hair out of his eyes and then turned his attention back to the man, gently tracing the scar and running his fingers over the peaceful looking face.  
  
"Honestly, Harry." He murmured. "I don't know why you bother? It's not like you can find me, I won't let you this time. You had your chance and you wasted it." He sat down on the other side of the bed and continued to run his fingers through Harry's messy hair. "You screwed me around so much, I could just kill you." The fingers moved to Harry's throat. "But sadly, while it would be fun, it's not the right time." The fingers moved back to his hair.  
  
"When you caught Draco, everything fell apart. It wasn't supposed to go like that, you know? But then I thought about it for awhile and decided that while it wasn't the most ideal outcome, it was better than nothing. So I let it be. I left Draco to die, deciding that would have to be enough." Mortel sighed and took his hands away completely. "But then you messed all that up too. And now Draco's back here, back with you. So I had to think over everything again, and this time it can't go wrong, so long as I'm careful. What? You thought I'd just give up? I set out on a mission, and it's not done yet."  
  
He stood up and looked down at the man again. "That means it's not over. I'm not through, and by the time I am, everyone's world will have changed." He leant over and placed a kiss on Harry's forehead. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did. You should never have betrayed me like that, you ruined everything, time and time again. I'm going to make you suffer for what you did. Always the meddlesome, impossible Gryffindor, ruining such great plans."  
  
Mortel stood up and beckoned his bag over. After looking through it for awhile he found what he was searching for and brought it out. "Just lie still." He whispered to the sleeping Harry and then giggled.  
  
----------  
  
Draco wasn't too sure how he had managed to get to his retreat. Well, he knew how, he just couldn't really remember it this time. He had a vague memory of waking up from a nightmare and dragging himself out of bed, but everything else was a blur. He couldn't remember walking to the park, he couldn't remember using his portkey. He had just been too tired. Thankfully, he couldn't remember the dream either.  
  
He yawned and stretched, wondering how long he had been there. Time had a habit of slipping him by when he got into one of his moods, and not having enough sleep never helped.  
  
He stood up and searched his pockets for his portkey, but couldn't find it. Frowning, he started to look around, figuring he must have dropped it somewhere. He headed down the steps, his eyes not leaving the ground but he couldn't see it anywhere. Not completely surprising as it was a much darker night than normal, the moon covered with clouds. Swearing under his breath, he pulled out his wand and attempted to use the Summoning Charm, but nothing happened.  
  
Completely confused, he just picked up one of the loose, smooth stones and transformed it into a replacement, figuring he could come back in the daylight and find the original then. Lately, he had been using a small cat figurine that he had just grabbed off the drawer one day, he had grown quite fond of it.  
  
He walked slowly through the park heading back his apartment, joyfully anticipating the day he could start to study for the Apparation exam. He hummed to himself softly in the elevator and eventually stumbled into his apartment, hauling his shirt off immediately. He chucked it to the lounge, and frowned as he saw that the window was open.  
  
He was sure he had closed it when Steel had come back in for the night. He looked out it quickly and figured that if the damn thing had gotten out again, it would be its own fault. He closed it and headed into the bedroom toeing off his shoes and sitting on the bed to pull off his socks.  
  
He went to the bathroom to get himself some water and stared at the dim reflection. He always looked like some sort of lunatic clown at night, his skin white with dark patches around his eyes. Sighing, he rubbed his face and turned to go back to the bed. He smiled at the lump on the side of the bed nearest to the bathroom door and walked over to look down at him.  
  
He gently patted Harry's hair and frowned when he felt it was damp. He really hated that, but waved it off, deciding he was too tired to care. He leant over and gave Harry a gentle kiss, not wanting to wake the other up. As he straitened his licked his lips and froze as he tasted a sweet, metallic flavour. He frowned in confusion and then licked one of the fingers he had ran through Harry's hair.  
  
It tasted the same.  
  
"Lumos." The tip of his wand lit up and he stared at the dark face, thinking for a second he had walked into the wrong apartment. His eyes widened as he slowly backed away until he reached the door to the living room and felt around on the wall for the light switch.  
  
He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted and then squeezed his hands into fist to stop them from shaking. Harry's face was covered in blood. He walked back to the bed and drew the covers back. It was everywhere, all down his body, seeping into the sheets. Draco felt his body go numb, his hands weren't responding anymore, because he knew he was trying to get them to reach his Harry, but they stayed at his side obstinately.  
  
His eyes travelled up and down the length of Harry's body and then slowly up to the wall behind the bed. More blood was there too, this time in words.  
  
'I'll save you from yourself.'  
  
To Be Continued. 


	21. Part Twenty : Smell The Blood

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle.  
  
.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twenty. Smell The Blood.  
  
"Harry?" It was barely a whisper. Draco concentrated very hard and finally got his hands to move. He gently shook Harry's shoulder, ignoring the slimy slippery feeling. "Harry?"  
  
He finger's automatically reached for the throat and he breathed easier as he felt the steady pulse under the skin. He watched as Harry's chest rose and fell rhythmically. "Sleeping charm?" He had already levelled his wand before he properly came to some of his senses.  
  
He picked up the phone on the side table and dialled quickly.  
  
"Lo?" The voice that greeted him did not sound happy.  
  
"Weasley, wake up Granger and get over here now."  
  
"Malfoy? Do you have any fucking idea what time it is?"  
  
"Just get over to our apartment."  
  
"Now listen here.. "  
  
"Weasley, I learnt many things from my time as a Death Eater." Draco was proud that he managed to keep his voice calm and soft and not sound hysterical. "One such thing was this delightful little curse that caused excessive pain whenever the person was in close contact with the trigger. If you wish to be able to stand in the same room as your lovely girlfriend without having to worry that your skull will split in half, I suggest you get over here now."  
  
Draco hung up before there was a reply and he dialled another number straightaway.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Morgan, get up, get dressed, get over here."  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"You're wasting time." He slammed the phone back into its cradle and, with one last look to the bed, went to sit at the table in the living room.  
  
He sat there quietly as the shock wore off. He couldn't work out if that was a good or a bad thing. No shock meant he was about to go into massive overload of pure fury. He never liked people threatening what was his. Harry was his and he certainly took this as a threat of some kind. He wasn't quite sure what the fuck Mortel was up to, but that didn't matter right now. Whatever the psycho was up to it meant covering his Harry in blood and Draco wasn't about to just let that go anytime soon.  
  
There was no knock at the door but Ron and Hermione turned up anyway. The redhead was not looking happy. "I swear Malfoy, if this isn't a life or death situation, I'll make it one. Now what the fuck was so important you had to drag us out of bed at four in the morning. Some of us have work you know? Where's Harry?"  
  
Draco pointed to the door of the bedroom. "Go see for yourself. But don't wake him."  
  
Ron threw another scowl and headed for the door. "Harry?" The end of Ron's word sounded strangled as Draco looked around trying to find some random thing he could destroy.  
  
Ron and Hermione were now the closest people and that put them at the top of his list on who to take it out on. He couldn't see Harry being happy about his friend's being attacked, even if it did prove that Draco cared.  
  
"Oh my god!" Hermione had obviously gone to check it out.  
  
Draco looked up as Ron's stormed back over. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?"  
  
"Nothing. I just found him like that." Draco grated his teeth together, causing a harsh, squeaking noise. "Just don't wake him."  
  
"Why the hell not?"  
  
"I don't want him to see it. Now kindly get out of my face before I kill you."  
  
Ron twitched slightly and took a few steps back. Draco got the feeling that Ron must have learnt over time what the blonde could be like in tis mood. "Why did you call us?"  
  
"Hermione is an Auror, and I thought you might have people you need to call. A Clean-Up crew would be a good idea for a start."  
  
Ron nodded and looked to Hermione who was already in mid-dial. "Who else did you call?"  
  
"Morgan, he should be here soon."  
  
"It's Hermione, we need a CU crew at Harry's place and fast." She grunted a few times and hung up. "Few minutes."  
  
"It won't dry." Draco said absently. He was slowly getting a hold on his anger and was now looking at his fingers where some of the blood hadn't been wiped off yet.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The blood. It won't dry. The writing did but the blood on him is still wet." He turned his hand over. "Mortel must have charmed it." He looked up sharply. "Can you trace the residue of the spell?"  
  
Hermione thought for a second before nodding. "It's possible. Blood would hold spells better than human flesh, I'll get the guys to check it out." She took a seat and brought out a notepad. "So tell me what happened."  
  
"I had a bad dream and went for one of my walks. When I got home it was dark. I gave Harry a kiss on the forehead and that was when I noticed something was wrong. I turned the light on, well, you can see what I saw."  
  
"What was the dream about?"  
  
"I don't remember. I don't even really remember getting up." He narrowed his eyes at her concerned look. "What?"  
  
"No, nothing. So you got home, found Harry and called us? Who'd you call first? Morgan or us?"  
  
"You."  
  
A knock at the door and then the apartment was swamped with people as they wandered around checking everything out. Some had strange gadgets and were running them around everything as they let out soft hums. Readings were taken of the bedroom, Harry, the living room, and a couple even felt brave enough to scan Draco as he sat at the table glaring.  
  
"How do you think Mortel would have gotten in?" Hermione was still going with her questions.  
  
"Um, I had to close the window when I got home. I thought I had already done that when Steel came home for dinner."  
  
"Where *is* Steel?"  
  
Draco blinked and then looked around. "Um, I don't know. It didn't even occur to me. That was the most important thing on my mind at the time, the cat can fend for himself fairly well so I just don't think about it."  
  
"Hmmm, well we look into that, I'm sure he'll be here somewhere. How's it going guys?" Grunts and murmurs came up from all the surrounding people. "Good, good. Just make sure we get as much of that blood as possible, there are a lot of tests we'll be requesting.. Don't suppose it'll be his."  
  
"Doubt it." Everyone looked to Draco. "Well, it's probably from one or more of his victims. He's not just going to leave pints of his blood around now is he? He's insane, not stupid."  
  
"We don't know for sure if he's insane."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes at the Cleaner's comment. "Oh, and of course people who wander around hacking up small children and little old ladies are just perfectly normal." He muttered and then gave an intentionally fake smile when the man looked back.  
  
The whole thing was nearly finished. Draco had said to get as much of the blood off and then he'd be the one to give Harry a shower. Ron and Hermione offered to stick around to help with the questions, which Draco didn't turn down. Pretty much everyone was gone except for the two remaining Cleaners that were charming for fingerprints.  
  
Then the door opened again and a flustered Morgan rushed in. "What's up?"  
  
Draco's eyes closed slowly and then snapped open. "What's up? WHAT'S UP? I called you over an hour ago, you fucking brain dead moron! Where's the fuck have you been?"  
  
"I had to have a shower."  
  
Draco was stunned into silence for a few seconds as it sunk in. "You what?"  
  
Morgan noticed the soft tone and cringed. "Um, nothing?" He whispered and took a step back as Draco stood up.  
  
"I called you in the middle of the night and told you to get over here, and you take a shower?"  
  
"Um, yes?"  
  
Draco clenched his hands into fists. "I am so very angry right now, Morgan. I think it would be best if you go cower behind Hermione."  
  
Morgan nodded and did as he was told. Draco took a few deep breaths as Hermione muttered for the young man to go look into the bedroom. When Morgan came back from the doorway he was very pale. "Um, is he, well, you know, is he dead?"  
  
Draco gave a short, harsh laugh. "Do you honestly think I'd be THIS FUCKING CALM if he was dead?"  
  
Morgan nodded quietly in understanding. "I'm sorry, Draco. If I had known it was this important I would have come straight over. I just wasn't thinking. I was still mostly asleep and my brain just said you were dragging me over to yell at me about my assignments." Draco gave him an odd look. "Um, you used to do that a lot when you were my Trainer." He shot a look to the bedroom. "What do we do?"  
  
The last of the Clean Up crew said their goodbyes and left as Draco headed for the bedroom. "We're going to clean him up. Thoroughly, with water and everything not just a spell. He's still asleep, I didn't want him to wake up and see it."  
  
They all helped carry Harry into the bathroom and place him in the bath. Draco ran the water and the other three stood around uncomfortably as he got to work of wiping off all the blood that still remained. He sighed and he worked and finally turned around. "Morgan, could you please stop staring at me, it's unnerving."  
  
Morgan blushed and looked away as Draco watched it slowly click in Ron's mind that the blonde still wasn't wearing a shirt. The redhead coughed loudly and then glared at his girlfriend. "You too."  
  
"Ron Weasley I was *not* staring! I am just standing here being supportive." She gave a little huff at the end and then turned back to Draco. "So why do you think Mortel did this?"  
  
"A warning? Who knows. The more interesting thing is why didn't he kill him? Not that I'm ungrateful or anything but still."  
  
They all fell quiet as Draco finished up and summoned a towel. "I know one thing though. When I get my hands on him I'll kill him, I don't care if he's technically already dead, I'll find a way."  
  
They all carried Harry back to the couch and lay him down. "Okay, we can wake him now." Draco got his wand and did the finishing spell and they waited. "Harry? Time to wake up and smell the blood." Hermione slapped Draco in the back of the head for that comment. "What? I'm trying to lighten the mood. I don't want to freak him out."  
  
"No chance of succeeding there." Morgan muttered.  
  
Harry's eyes opened after a few seconds and he smiled up at Draco. "Hey." He looked at where he was and frowned. "Why am I in the living room? Why am I on the couch?" He looked to Ron, Hermione and Morgan. "What are you guys doing here?"  
  
Draco forced a cheerful smile. "Um, yeah. Funny story actually. No, no, you might want to stay lying down for this one."  
  
To Be Continued. 


	22. Part Twenty One : Hear The Whispers

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twenty-One. Hear The Whispers.  
  
Draco smiled and accepted the mug of coffee with gratitude. He was sitting on the kitchen bench staring at the bedroom door reflectively.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
Draco gave a quick glance to Morgan as the younger man took a seat at the table. "He still won't say much. I guess it really freaked him that Mortel got in somehow. Despite you all keep saying that it's impossible, obviously it isn't."  
  
Morgan nodded, lost in thought. "But how did he get in?"  
  
"It doesn't leave much open. If what the Ministry say is true the only people who can get in are Aurors and myself. So logically, that means Mortel has taken the body of an Auror. Makes sense really, as we were in Azkaban when he left me."  
  
"I just can't think that it's an Auror. We have in depth screening tests to reduce such risks."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's happened in the past."  
  
"I guess." Morgan looked to the window. "Steel back yet?"  
  
"He wandered in a few hours ago, seemed a little edgy, but I guess we all are these days. Now, it's just worse." Draco spun his lighter around in his fingers for a few moments. "Morgan?"  
  
"Mmmm?"  
  
"Is this what I used to be like? I mean, have you seen any differences between me now or Mortel then?"  
  
"Um, to be honest, not really. Sometimes I really have to stretch to realise that there's a lot of things you don't remember."  
  
"I almost can sometimes. When I'm sleeping I get these images, I think they're memories. But I can never grasp them properly when I wake up."  
  
"What are they like?"  
  
Draco scrunched his nose up. "Some aren't the best. There's almost always blood. It's the dreams that wake me up." Draco finished his coffee and leant backwards to open the kitchen drawer. He brought out his cigarettes and an ashtray. His eyes fell on the ring he had woken up the morning to find on his finger and he picked it up.  
  
He twirled it in his fingers for awhile as Morgan watched quietly. Draco read the inscription for the hundredth time since he had found it. 'My first, My last, My only' and let out a sigh.  
  
"Please tell me mine wasn't that nauseatingly sentimental."  
  
Morgan laughed softly and shook his head. "No it wasn't. Harry was rather miffed at first but accepted it anyway. I believe your's said, and I quote," He winked, "Now you'll never get rid of me." He raised his mug in a mock toast as Draco smirked.  
  
"How the hell does that fit on it? The ring isn't that round."  
  
"Small writing, in a spiral pattern. We all thought it was hilarious, Harry's face was priceless but he soon got over it. After all, you were the one who had suggested you get married."  
  
Draco looked surprised at this. "I did?"  
  
"Well, Mortel, but I guess that you would have as he did. I don't know how you, um, him, asked Harry, but I guess it was believable."  
  
"Yeah." Draco absently slipped the ring on to the ring finger of his left hand and decided he quite liked it there.  
  
"You loved him before Mortel took over, didn't you?" Morgan asked gently.  
  
Draco nodded. "Yeah, though I told myself it was just a crush."  
  
"How did you find out?" He blushed. "Er, if you don't mind me asking."  
  
Draco smiled thinly. "Someone told me. I said he was crazy." Draco finally lit his cigarette. "He was. Crazy, that is, didn't make him any less right though."  
  
"Someone told you?"  
  
Draco sighed and gave a nod. "Yeah."  
  
"You love him."  
  
"You're off your bloody rocker. Now shut up and let's get through this silently. I'm sick of your mind games."  
  
"I don't think so. Wouldn't our Lord find that interesting? One of his favourite recruits, in love with the enemy?"  
  
"So tell him you're perverted ideas of me and my loyalties. It makes no difference to me as I know you're wrong."  
  
"I'm not, you know this."  
  
"Just shut up. If we get caught I'll make it clear whose fault it was. Let's see how interested our Lord would be with that."  
  
"Draco?"  
  
He blinked and looked up. "Sorry? What?"  
  
Morgan nodded his head towards the door. "I'll get going. Maybe you should try to talk to him again?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Works says he can take a second day off, but they really need him on the streets." Morgan got up and left his mug in the sink. "See ya."  
  
"Yeah, bye." Draco picked up the letter he had received that morning and sighed.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I had my blood sent off to be tested. I wanted to see if maybe I should remember but Mortel put a charm on me. The remnants of the spell can last a few years in the blood stream."  
  
"Is there?"  
  
"No. Not a drop but it's not completely clean."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Draco smiled and walked to the door and opened it for Morgan to go out. "I mean, I now have to go in there and asked why he's been putting a sleeping charm on me every night for the last few weeks."  
  
Morgan's eyes widened and he went to say something but Draco just held his hand up. The younger man nodded and left without a word, as the blonde stood a little straighter. Draco determinedly walked into the bedroom where Harry was sitting up looking sulky. He tossed the letter in front of his lover and took a seat as he watched Harry's eyes scan the paper.  
  
"You had your blood tested?" Harry's voice was bland but Draco could feel something was being concealed.  
  
"Yes, I wanted to see if a memory charm had been placed on me. This is what I found instead. Would you like to explain?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Not really."  
  
Draco just looked at him steadily until he saw the defeat.  
  
"I just didn't want you going out at night."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, apart from the fact that there's a serial killer out there, one that's hell bent on hunting me which puts you in danger, there's still the fact that the nights you go out and the nights of attacks are still coinciding."  
  
"So, what? You put me to sleep and then no more killings? That was your thought pattern?"  
  
"Basically. It sounded good at the time, except ..." He trailed off.  
  
"Except I kept waking up somehow?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess your dreams are messing with the spell."  
  
"I don't think they're dreams, I think there are all just memories. Obviously, my mind just doesn't want them, or something." Draco watched as Harry looked away to the window. "Something is definitely wrong. I, um, don't think I like you messing with my mind or anything, could you please not do it?"  
  
"Sure, as long as you don't go out."  
  
"Oh come off it, Harry. I should be allowed to go out whenever I want."  
  
"Yeah you should, but don't you feel just a little guilty that almost every time you go out, someone dies?" Harry's voice was still bland which was starting to get irritating.  
  
"I'm tired of feeling guilty about what he has done. I refused to let it get to me."  
  
"But .."  
  
"But nothing, I'm not going to let him run my life when he's not even in my body anymore. Now, if you'll excuse me, someone has to make dinner and as you're still sitting in here sulking that you were covered in blood, I guess the task will fall to me." He walked out before he could get a reply and headed back to the kitchen.  
  
He turned the oven on and went to the fridge to get last night's leftovers, concluding he could cook something new tomorrow. He really wasn't in the mood for it right now, something about how Harry had just decided to put a sleeping charm on him without even discussing it, really bothered him.  
  
He frowned as he realised the oven didn't seem to be working. He brought his wand out and cast a heating spell as he thought to take off the engagement ring. But before he could reach to his other hand he heard a strange sizzling noise. He flicked his head to look at the stove as an eerily familiar smell reached him. He knew he should know it but it didn't matter as his instinct kicked in forcefully and he jumped over the kitchen bench and huddled behind it. A deafening boom sounded, followed by the noise of projectiles whistling past as his brain slowly caught up with his actions.  
  
The smell of burnt coffee, a Chain Reaction potion must have been carefully brushed over it, making it invisible against the already white appliance. Draco stood up and shook his head, trying to get his ears to respond again. Someone grabbed his shoulder and he turned to look at a terrified Harry who was mouthing something that looked like 'What happened' over and over again along with Draco's name.  
  
The blonde just shrugged and looked at the remnants of the oven. He pointed to the phone and tried to convey that someone should be called for.  
  
An hour later and the Auror crime scene specialists were once again bidding them a good bye, the second time in two days. Draco could hear properly again and Harry was even worse than before.  
  
"Maybe you should go stay at the Ministry, Ko. It would be best."  
  
"I'm not running away just because the prick thinks I shouldn't be in your life. If he wants you all to yourself, that's his fucking problem."  
  
"I still think you should go to the Ministry. Just for now."  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry's face, there was something very odd, he was sure of it. "I'm fine thank you, but I shall go for a walk. Perhaps you should tell everyone to get on the streets right about now."  
  
Harry looked away. "I really wish you wouldn't go."  
  
"Yeah, well. Right now the streets of London are safer than my own apartment, I'm going."  
  
"Damn it, Ko. I wake up only for you to shove pictures of me covered in blood into my face, then our oven blows up and all you do ..."  
  
"What? WHAT? No, go on, say it. What, you think I was overjoyed to come home and find you like that? I can't just sit here and not hunt the fucker down. For a few moments last night, I thought you were dead, and I REALLY DIDN'T FUCKING LIKE IT! So you can bitch and whine all you want but if Mortel only comes out to play when I go for my walks, then I'm going to fucking well drag him out."  
  
Harry gave a strained smile and Draco sighed. "Can we talk about this later?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Lock the door and all the windows, especially lock the door to the balcony. Steel is in the studio so you don't have to wait for him. I really need to go out right now, okay?"  
  
Harry nodded and Draco gave him a quick kiss. "I won't be long."  
  
To Be Continued. 


	23. Part Twenty Two : Heart Of Shadow

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Blood & Nails.  
  
.  
  
Part Twenty-Two. Heart Of Shadow.  
  
Draco shuffled along slowly still thinking of all the things that had happened lately. He was beginning to wish he hadn't woken up at all that morning, memory or no memory. This whole serial killer out to get him and his Harry was wearing thin and he wasn't too sure how long his patience was going to hold out.  
  
The appeal of using slightly unorthodox measures was becoming very tempting. Of course it would send him straight back to Azkaban and for good reason, but he wasn't really worried about that anymore. He spent most nights dreaming of the cold feeling from the Dementors as it was so his mind rationalised that it wouldn't really be that much different. He was starting to feel like he was already in prison, all this sitting back and doing nothing. It went against his nature completely.  
"You love him."  
  
"You're off your bloody rocker."  
Draco took a deep breath and forced himself to take in his surroundings instead. Even though, with his lack of memory, that conversation had only taken place a few months ago for him, he had already trained himself to not think about it. That was still rated Number One on the 'Worse Experiences' list. Not even waking up to find he was under order of execution for multiple murders had topped it.  
  
He hated to think that maybe something between his memory breaks could actually beat it so he put all of it from his mind and returned his attention to the problem at hand. He focussed in on the idea of Mortel and kept a very careful look out, in case that strange feeling of being watched started up again.  
  
By now he could only think of one person who would trail behind him and it was pretty much a given that the person didn't wish him well. He was no longer convinced it was his paranoia as Morgan had tried to convince him.  
  
He walked slowly through the park searching and scanning. He had decided the Mortel thing had gone on for far too long. Take over his body, nearly get him killed on more than one occasion, hack up the young and the elderly of London and blame it on him, that's all fine. But covering Harry in blood had taken it just that little bit too far in his mind.  
  
So, he rationalised, if Mortel only came out to hunt when Draco walked the streets, he would walk the streets, bring the fucker out and freeze him, so they could extract Mortel from whoever he was hiding in now.  
  
It wasn't much of a plan but Draco decided that in the end it got the job done. This was not the time for messing around, the time to attack was now.  
  
He turned his head slightly to the left as a soft sound reached his ears. His eyes flicked over, he couldn't see anything, but he knew something was going on. They jumped out so quietly and abruptly, Draco barely had time to dodge the sword and duck, as the sound of a gunshot seemed to boom in his ears. He kicked the gun away before it was fired a second time and straightened to face his attackers.  
  
It took him less than a second to summarise that they were vampires and took another step back as the sword was swung at his throat. Only hired vamps moved in small groups so Draco worked out rather quickly he was in trouble. After some almost fatal scuffling he managed to get the sword and, working on pure instinct by this point, killed the one who had been holding it.  
  
The severed head hadn't even hit the ground by the time Draco had done the half turn to defend himself against the remaining vampire. He almost slipped over in his hurry but stayed up and then levelled his wand at his attacker.  
  
The vampire approximated his chances of getting to him and then scowled in defeat.  
  
"Good evening." Draco said quietly. "So, you and your friend here decided to kill me twice over because?"  
  
The vampire didn't answer so Draco threw the sword to go through its stomach, pinning it to the tree behind. It didn't flinch but it didn't look happy either.  
  
"Let's cut to it shall we? Who hired you?"  
  
Obstinate silence and Draco inwardly sighed, knowing that his odds of getting any information were in the 'microscopic to none' range. He really hated the pride most of the undead seemed to insist upon upholding. "Fine so you won't tell me. Thanks for nothing." He muttered something under his breath and the vampire would have paled if it could. It only closed its eyes though.  
  
After the fireball had completed its task Draco walked off, not interested in the sword and continued on with his attempt to find Mortel.  
  
Mortel smiled as the teenager struggled. He found her very entertaining. He raised one of the large nails out of his bag and was about to command it to pin her right hand to the wall when her arm slipped out of his grip and somehow came in contact with his head. He grunted in pain as she ripped some of his hair out.  
  
Surprised, he stared at the blonde strands poking out from her fist. He raised his own hand to his head and rubbed the sore spot. Then he started to laugh, as if it was the most comical thing he had come across in a long time.  
  
"Well, that's showing some spirit. I think I quite like you." He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I like you."  
  
The girl was still struggling and flailing her free hand every which way so he wiped her mind and stepped back, taking off the spells on her eyes and ears. She blinked a few times and then looked around in confusion.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked gently.  
  
She looked around again and nodded still clearly confused.  
  
"You'd better get home, the streets aren't safe at night. Run along." He nudged her gently and she obediently started to walk.  
  
She looked back and gave a thin smile. "Um, thanks." She stammered out and he waved.  
  
"Run home, little one." He waited until she was out of hearing. "And you're welcome."  
  
That's when it occurred to him. It finally felt like the right time to right a few wrongs that had been going on lately. It was time for him to go and really shake the foundations of Harry's supposedly happy life.  
  
He started to whistle as he headed for the other side of town. It was such a nice night he decided to walk towards his destiny, rather than just Apparate. It would give him time to look forward to the look on the blonde's face. "It's about time Draco and I had a little chat. Yes, definitely. This silly little game has run its course."  
  
He smiled to himself as he turned down into a shortcut. After all, he had been waiting for this for what felt like forever, no need to really drag it out. He could build enough anticipation to truly enjoy it.  
  
Draco threw his cigarette away and leant back to look up at the stars. He had given up trying to lure Mortel out and had gone to his usual lookout for some down time. He had a lot to think about.  
  
The one thing that was really nagging at him right now was why Mortel would suddenly hire someone to kill him instead of just doing it for himself. It seemed out of place, clashing with the psycho's style, what little there was, and it confused the hell out of Draco.  
  
He couldn't even just put it down to the very common 'He's a lunatic, that's why' theory as it didn't feel right. It was all very strange to him.  
  
He looked back down as a sound distracted him and he sighed. "Great, more bloody vamps." He muttered as he stood up.  
  
But the people who came out of the shadows certainly didn't give off the undead vibe. Or the undead smell. Draco watched closely as they walked towards him and he managed to catch a glimpse of one of their faces. He was glad his wand was already out and sent a warning fireball, which just happened to sideswipe the one on the left end of the line. They stopped and raised their heads so he could see them all.  
  
Some he knew some he didn't but it was enough to tell him who and what they were. "I was under the impression the remaining Death Eaters were on the run across mainland Europe." He lifted his head higher and gave them one of his sneers.  
  
"We were." One spoke. "But then we heard someone was out to kill you."  
  
"Awww, how sweet, you've come to defend me." Draco spat sarcastically. He evaluated if he stood a chance in an all out fight and decided he didn't. His hand slipped to his pocket for his portkey. "How did you find me here?"  
  
"We were ... helped."  
  
Draco wasn't stupid and he knew that more would be creeping up behind him and these were just the ones sent to distract him. He was very grateful that they obviously wanted to torture him for awhile first, or he would have been dead already. "Well, it's been a blast seeing you guys again, but I really must go." His hands clasped around his portkey as they realised what he was doing. The last thing he saw were the wands raising before he landed back in the park.  
  
"Well." He looked around. "I think it's time to go home. Yes, definitely time to go." He took a few calming breaths and waited for his heart to return to normal. Just as he turned something flew past his back, cutting through his shirt and the first few layers of skin. He stared at the arrow that was now in the tree a few feet away and wished severely he knew how to Apparate.  
  
Another whistled through the air and he worked out roughly where it came from as he jumped backwards. He fired a thunderbolt back and then ran towards it, keeping a look out for more.  
  
A very charred vampire was what he found about fifteen metres away and he let a breath out in relief. This was starting to get very irritating. He looked up, his wand following, as he sensed that someone was watching him again. He walked slowly over to the bench he was fond of sitting at and pretended to move as if to sit.  
  
Instead his hand flashed out and closed upon what was obviously someone under an invisibility cloak. He wrenched it off and took a step back. His eyes widened and then narrowed suspiciously. "Harry?"  
  
"Er, um, hi." The brunette smiled weakly and then slumped a little.  
  
"Why are you trying to kill me?"  
  
To Be Continued. 


	24. Part Twenty Three : How Could You?

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Nah, nothing you can't handle. And let's give a big hand to Abremaline, for finally being home and letting me on her comp :P. She's the one who has made all the parts after my comp crashed, possible. Without her, I would have appeared on Australia's Most Wanted by now.  
  
Also, I've noticed some confusion, but in my part of Australia, we have always classified people that had black hair as brunettes. I'm very sorry for the cultural misunderstanding.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twenty Three. How Could You?  
  
"What? I'm not trying to kill you!" Harry said indignantly. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
Draco gave a tired smile. "Sorry, I just haven't had the best night. I mean, first someone sets a bomb on my oven and I nearly get blown to all hell, and well, the night just hasn't gotten any better since then."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, there was the oven, and then there were vampires, but I dealt with them. I go for some quiet time and somehow renegade Death Eaters find me. I manage to get away from them only to be shot at by yet another vampire. Though he's no longer an issue either. But then I find you skulking around under your cloak, so my mind just leapt into suspicion mode." Draco smiled again at Harry's annoyed look. "I am sorry though."  
  
Harry nodded and switched from one foot to another.  
  
Draco frowned slightly and looked around. "Um, just out of curiosity, what *are* you doing wandering around being invisible?"  
  
Harry strained to get a smile. "Just, you know, taking some time out. The apartment was kind of ominous while I was on my own so I just came out for some air."  
  
"On your own?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"While invisible?"  
  
"Um, yeah."  
  
Draco sized him up and then took a step back. "Are you following me?"  
  
Harry smiled slightly. "Not really?" He said hopefully.  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes. "Why? And how long have you been doing this?"  
  
"No, it's just that, well, you said you were going to try and draw Mortel out, so I was just making sure that you didn't need any help."  
  
"Harry, I can tell when you're bullshitting and this is one of those times. Why are you following me? You don't thinking I'm cheating do you?"  
  
"No, of course not! ... Er, you're not are you?"  
  
"HARRY!"  
  
"Sorry, sorry. No it's just well, I was wondering where you go when you get some time alone."  
  
"Why?"  
  
He shrugged weakly. "I don't know, I was just curious."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"I give you your time alone when you need it."  
  
"I know, I just, well, I was wondering, and I didn't want to come right out and ask, because, well, I didn't want you to think that I was smothering you or anything."  
  
"So you sneak around in your cloak, following me?"  
  
Harry didn't answer.  
  
"Why *keep* following me?"  
  
"Well, I could never get here in time to cast the tracing spell to be able to follow you, so I still don't know where you go."  
  
"You could have just asked."  
  
Harry sighed. "I just didn't want to bother you. Mortel is closing in, I was just worried for you."  
  
Draco spotted his uncomfortable shift again. "I might not have much memory, but I can still look after myself Harry."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm sure that's what Ron thought." Harry said softly.  
  
Draco sighed and rubbed his face. "Is there something else you'd like to tell about Mortel?"  
  
Harry took a seat on the bench and shook his head. "No, what do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, you've been slowly getting worse over, well, for as long as I can remember of this year."  
  
"Such as."  
  
Draco could hear in Harry's voice that they were heading to one of the subjects Harry didn't want to go into, but Draco was too tired to care. He figured that he'd had a bad night as it was, so he should be entitled to a little leeway. "Look, did Mortel say anything to you? You always do this guarded routine whenever I try and ask about it. You're hiding something, I know you are."  
  
"No I'm not." Was the response that came far too quickly.  
  
"I really hate it when you lie to me." Draco got no reply so he turned to go home.  
  
"What are you doing now?"  
  
"I'm going home, Potter. I'm just not in the mood to play Musical Moods with you."  
  
"I'm not playing anything."  
  
"Oh please! Give me some credit will you? What? You think I haven't noticed all the times you don't answer me, or just flat out lie? It's been going on for what seems like forever, and I'm just sick and tired of it."  
  
"I'm sorry for following you."  
  
"Look, whatever, I'm going home. You can stay out here and find some squirrels to tail or something." He turned to leave but Harry stood up and caught his shoulder.  
  
"I said I was sorry."  
  
"Yeah, but you're apologising for the wrong thing. I mention how you're hiding something and you keep shutting me out, how it's pissing me off, and all you can say is that you're sorry for following me."  
  
"Well, what do you want me to say?"  
  
Draco gritted his teeth and turned back to face him. "How about you tell me WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"  
  
"NOTHING IS GOING ON!" Harry shouted back.  
  
"Wow, did you think I was this dense when Mortel was around? Did he make me out to be a complete dolt and that I only wandered around fixing my hair and giggling at the appropriate pauses?"  
  
"Don't start, Ko. Just leave it okay, you don't understand."  
  
"You're right, I don't understand. I don't get anything, because you keep refusing to say anything."  
  
"Look, yes, there is something I'm not saying, but I can't, not yet, you wouldn't understand. You need more time."  
  
"I need more time for what? In case you haven't noticed Potter, there's a lunatic out on the streets and he seems to have chosen me for his next frolic in Blood Land."  
  
"No, look, I don't think you need to worry about Mortel killing you. If I told you, you wouldn't take it well, you still need more time. It's, I, I just can't."  
  
Draco snorted angrily.  
  
"If I tell you and you're not ready to hear it, you'll get mad, storm off, and then I'll be on my own. Again. I don't want to repeat that Ko."  
  
"I'm ready okay, just say it. What? Did Mortel say something before he left? Did he talk about what he was going to do?"  
  
"No, it's not really like that. It's .." Harry sighed and put his left hand over his eyes. "It's more complicated than just Mortel and everything."  
  
Draco stood in silence and replayed everything in his mind. After a few moments he made his decision. "If it's about me, I need to know Harry, so I'm going to give you a choice. And yes, I know you don't like ultimatums but this has gone on for too long. Either you tell me what is going on, or I'll leave anyway."  
  
Harry went to protest but Draco held his hand up. "Now, if you think I'll lose my temper and leave, well, it's possible, but you know what I'm like. I might calm down and come back. But if you don't tell me, I'm going to go for a nice long holiday, one where you will never see me again."  
  
"Oh come on, Ko, you honestly think I'm going to believe that?"  
  
"Don't push me, Potter." He took a step closer and looked Harry directly in the eyes. "I *can* live without you." Harry rolled his eyes but Draco could see the worry. "Tell me, or I'm gone."  
  
"It's not the right time." Harry tried lamely.  
  
"I get the feeling it never will be. Come on, please. I'm so tired of all this silence."  
  
Harry shook his head stubbornly.  
  
"Fine. Have a good life, Potter." Draco only got a few paces away when Harry grabbed his arm.  
  
"No, come on Ko, don't be like that."  
  
"I obviously can't be who you want."  
  
"What are you talking about now?"  
  
"So what's the deal? Mortel Me would have just sat back and let you go on like that forever? Is that what he was like?"  
  
"Don't start this again, okay."  
  
"Maybe that's the whole problem? Maybe you miss him." Draco decided that if he was going to leave, he was certainly going to get in as many low blows as he could. "I'm sorry I couldn't be like him."  
  
"Now you're just talking shit."  
  
Draco put on his best sickly sweet voice. "Now, now, let's look at the facts. You and Mortel managed almost five years, and yet when it's me, like the real me, it's barely five months. I guess Mortel was just better at being me, than I am. Probably made sure he did everything right, didn't want to annoy anyone. Didn't want any suspicion naturally."  
  
"You know that's not true."  
  
"Do I? Perfect little boyfriend, well, expect for the killing, but maybe you're prepared to overlook that. You want him back, Harry? I'm sure we could find him for you?"  
  
"Stop it." Harry ground his teeth together.  
  
"Hell, we could convince to possess me again, I'm sure he thought it was great."  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
Draco stepped even closer and dropped his voice to a taunting level. "Is that the problem? I just didn't measure up to the fake me?"  
  
"THERE'S NO DIFFERENCE! YOU WERE LIKE YOU ARE NOW!"  
  
"Oh come on! A spirit takes over my body and does it that well? I just won't buy it! Admit it, YOU LOVE HIM!"  
  
"I LOVE YOU!"  
  
"BULLSHIT! You're just waiting for when he's captured, hell you'll probably drag me in and tell him to jump right in. Get you precious lover back!"  
  
"NO! You're wrong, you don't understand."  
  
"I'll bet he was a dream to live with."  
  
"You piss me off to no end but I love you."  
  
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT IT, POTTER. THAT WASN'T ME! When are you going to realise that? It looked like me, it sounded like me, but IT WASN'T ME!"  
  
"YES IT .." Harry seemed to almost choke and he shut his mouth.  
  
Draco audibly snarled. "How the fuck can you say that? How can you compare me to that fucking lunatic? Go to hell, you arrogant prick."  
  
"No, please, Ko. Don't leave me. Please. I love you."  
  
"Get lost! I'm out of here. I don't need your shit anymore. First you practically drug me to sleep, now you're following me around, I'm not sticking around for whatever comes next in your little game of trying to control me."  
  
"No, please. It's not what you think, just trust me."  
  
Draco shook Harry's hand off. "I WON'T BE HIM FOR YOU! FUCK OFF!"  
  
"I LIED, OKAY? I LIED, I LIED, I LIED!" Harry stopped trying to keep up and visibly slumped where he stood. "Is that what you want to hear?"  
  
Draco turned. "What?"  
  
Harry looked up a little. "I lied. There was no possession."  
  
Draco sighed. "What are you on about now?"  
  
"There was no possession, I set it all up to stop the execution."  
  
"Cute, Potter, real cute. And almost believable except of course there's the whole issue of, I don't remember anything."  
  
"That's the point." Harry looked up completely now, trying to show how serious he was. "I made myself a secret keeper and repressed the last four and a half years of your memory from everyone. Even you."  
  
Draco didn't have time to answer as suddenly his head felt like it was going to implode. He let out a whimper and clutched at it wildly.  
  
"Just relax." Harry's voice said soothingly. "It'll be over soon. I made me telling you the trigger to end the spell."  
  
Draco gasped as everything started to almost fill in. Memories of Voldemort and Hogwarts were suddenly appearing. The pain lessened and he could almost see the images as that started to come. They were falling in order now and he watched his life play out. He remembered dark water, almost like ink, he could see his parents when they nearly died. He remembered the final days of the war, watching Voldemort fall, killing McGonagall, then graduation, training, moving in with Harry, Ron and Hermione, meeting Morgan.  
  
Everything was starting to fit. Then he could see himself, sitting in a cell and Hermione was screaming at him as Harry stood off to the side looking sad. Then his last night on earth, or at least that's what he had thought. Harry came in crying, whispered that everything was going to be just fine. Black and gold magic swirling around him and suddenly a cold wet feeling.  
  
Draco remembered that the last thing he had thought was that he was in the water and he panicked. Then the memory of him waking up that morning with Dumbledore watching over him slid into place and he blinked.  
  
He looked to Harry who had grabbed him after he almost slipped. He wrenched away. "What the fuck did you do to me."  
  
Harry smiled. "I told you already." He reached out to pat his arm but Draco hurried backwards. "Now, just don't get mad okay. Try and stay calm. It's going to be okay."  
  
Draco froze and looked up, his head still pounding slightly. "Okay? OKAY? Are you crazy? HOW THE FUCK CAN IT BE OKAY?"  
  
Harry took a patient breath. "Now, I know you're going to be upset, but you realise why I had to do it. They were going to kill you, Ko. I had no choice." He smiled, looking almost wild. "But the Ministry don't have to know the whole truth of what went on. They aren't watching you anymore. We can let this slide." Harry said hopefully.  
  
Draco gave him an incredulous look. "You *are* crazy. You just walk into my mind and stamp some of it down, and you expect me to like it?"  
  
"It wasn't like that, Ko. I had to do something."  
  
Draco took a few more steps backwards. His voice was soft and the betrayal that was concerning his mind was plain to hear. "And what, so that's why the sleeping charms? That's why you're following me? You're just trying to make sure that I'm not killing anyone?"  
  
Harry gave a mostly undecided look to that question and started to walk towards him. "We can get through this Ko, we can stay together this time. No one has to know that you can remember."  
  
Draco gave a crazed sounding laugh. "YOU FUCKING ARSEHOLE! YOU TOOK MY GOD DAMN MIND!"  
  
"They were going to kill you! I couldn't just let them do that! Surely you can see that?"  
  
Draco turned and started to shakily walk off. "Stay the fuck away from me."  
  
"No, please, we can do this. We can cover it up."  
  
"NO WE CAN'T!"  
  
"YES WE CAN!"  
  
"NO!" Another voice said from behind Draco. "You can't!"  
  
Draco looked behind him and watched as Ron appeared, holding another cloak. "Jesus fucking Christ, Harry." The redhead said, his face starting to go pink. "When I noticed there was something wrong, I never though it would be this!"  
  
Another wave of dizziness hit Draco and he stumbled slightly. He shook his head a little and rubbed his eyes as his stomach lurched. "God, it just gets better and better."  
  
Harry was starting to really look distraught now. "Ron, please, I know what you're thinking, but don't do it. Please."  
  
Ron was starting to shake with anger now. "This psycho slices me up, and you let him off! You fucking freed him?"  
  
"Not a psycho." Draco said softly as his mind tried to catch up with what it had been missing.  
  
"No, please, both of you, just take a deep breath." Harry was starting to cry but he didn't wipe his face.  
  
"How could you?" Draco and Ron asked at the same time. Ron was furious, Draco was shattered.  
  
Harry looked from one to the other. "I ... I had to."  
  
Ron turned and lifted his wand to Draco. "Draco Malfoy, I am officially detaining you .."  
  
Draco shook off his self pity and let his self preservation instinct kick in. "Sorry, Ron. I've heard this number before. I think I'll just be on my way."  
  
"You're not going anywhere." Ron hissed out.  
  
Draco slid his hand to his wand and just smiled weakly. "Don't bet on it."  
  
"Please, Ko, I'm sorry."  
  
"Fuck you. Fuck you to hell." He spat and Apparated out before either Harry or Ron could react.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	25. Part Twenty Four : This Is Me

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Oh the joys of having one's computer back to write on! I feel much more comfy. Anyway, on with the story!  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twenty Four. This Is Me.  
  
Draco slammed into the floor much harder than usual for an Apparation. There had been a strange bounce effect and he look around confused. He was just outside the door to his apartment and he nodded his head in realisation. With all the shock of his memories returning, he had overlooked the fact that the Non-Apparation spell was still in place. He hurried in, not bothering to close the door and headed for the bedroom.  
  
He stopped in surprise to see Morgan sitting on the couch. "Morgan?"  
  
The boy looked up and then stood quickly, brushing Steel off his lap, as he did. "Oh, hey Draco." He frowned slightly. "I didn't hear the elevator, I was listening for it."  
  
Draco evaluated quickly that the younger man didn't know yet and nodded quickly. "I took the stairs, nice view from the windows."  
  
"Right, well, I was just wanting to see how you guys were, after the whole 'Killer Kitchen' thing." He smiled.  
  
Draco returned it and motioned for him to follow into the bedroom. "Yeah, I just came back to get the old files, Hermione wants to double check that's she's got everything that she can." Draco easily slipped into plausible lying.  
  
"Again?"  
  
"Don't you mean still? That girl is like obsessed." He shot back smoothly.  
  
Morgan grinned as Draco dragged the heavy box out. By this time he realised that the warrant for him would be out in a matter of minutes, and he needed those files, everything they had on the case, he needed them badly and his mind was already thinking up an excuse to get himself into Hermione's home to steal hers, before she heard what had happened with Harry and Ron. He looked over at his apprentice who just seemed to be accepting everything he was being told and it made him feel slightly guilty. "Morgan?" He shrunk the box and picked it up. "Look, you won't understand right now, but I have to do some things."  
  
The other frowned and then nodded. "Um, okay. Anything I can help with?"  
  
"No, no, that's fine." Draco was already heading for the still open door. When he reached it he turned and looked back, his hand on the doorknob. "Just, well, whatever you hear about me, don't believe it okay?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just don't believe it! Okay?"  
  
"Um, yeah, sure Draco. Whatever you say." Morgan smiled hesitantly, trying to work out what was going on.  
  
"Harry's going to be rather busy for awhile, see what you can do about Steel." Draco smiled one last time at Morgan and then walked out, shutting the door behind him. He Apparated to land outside Hermione's door and started to knock. He just kept going until she finally managed to open it. "What the ...... Draco? What the hell are you doing? Jesus, keep it down, or you'll wake Ron."  
  
"He's not here."  
  
She blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Er, he isn't?"  
  
"No. Where are your notes for Mortel?"  
  
"They're in the desk, why?"  
  
"I just thought of something." Draco smirked, realising that wasn't really a lie. "I need to see them, preferably, all of them."  
  
Hermione stifled a yawn and waved in the general direction of her desk. "Everything is in the blue folders."  
  
Draco walked over and dragged the six, extremely large, blue folders out and shrank them down too.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm really sorry, Hermione, but I need these."  
  
She still wasn't quite awake yet, so she only nodded. "Er, all right."  
  
Draco checked his watch and estimated he didn't have much time. Whatever back-up that Ron had called for would already be at his apartment by now, so he knew he had to keep moving. He re-did the spells on the box from his place, to make sure it didn't suddenly spring back to full size and placed the newly shrunken folders in his pocket.  
  
"Draco? You're acting really weird."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry. I can't explain right now. I'm sure Ron will fill you in when he gets back."  
  
"Has the case had a new development?"  
  
Draco looked over as he pulled out his wand. "Yeah, you could say that."  
  
"And you need the files?"  
  
"I'm really sorry Hermione, but I have to take them."  
  
The young woman was basically fully awake by now and Draco could see she was having trouble understanding the logic. "Well, I'll come with you."  
  
"No. You won't. I'm stealing them. Sorry to do this, but I need them more than you do."  
  
"Stealing them?"  
  
Draco smiled grimly. "Let's just call it pay back for slapping me with your engagement ring turned inwards .... that really hurt *and* I nearly got a scar."  
  
She gave him an unimpressed look and he Apparated out just as it started to dawn on her that he shouldn't be able to remember that. She stared at where he had stood and looked down at her hand. She hadn't worn her ring since that day, saying she'd rather die than wear it. Draco had been the one to loan the money to Ron for him to buy it for her, she had insisted on a new one. The situation slowly starting to sink in, though she didn't understand most of it, but she managed to get to the phone and call Harry's place. The bad feeling inside of her got stronger when it was Ron that answered at the other end.  
  
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Draco narrowly avoided running full pelt into a tree and tried to focus on where he was going. He had definitely decided he was nor having a good night, but that was all he could be certain on. His head was still thumping with pain every now and then and he was starting to get very confused whenever he thought of anything in the last few months.  
  
He'd ordered the wiping of memories for many people, usually muggles after they had seen something they shouldn't, but had never considered how confusing it might be should the memory charms ever fail. He had recollections of all these things from the last few months, when he clearly would have looked at some of them in a different way, because he had more past experiences to go on. But he hadn't had them for awhile which did make a large impact on everything.  
  
For example, he was having a hell of a time trying to work out how he should feel about having to meet Morgan 'twice' that was confusing. Then there was those bloody vampires, who really seemed to have had a problem with him for years, except until his run in early that night, he'd never contemplated the fact that someone must have hired them. Which was very careless of him, considering the 'warning' he had received from the one that had bitten him only a year ago.  
  
And then there was Harry. The thought of him still made Draco angry. In fact, he could only think of a few people who had ever done anything to him that made him this furious, and he had hated most of them, ever since. But he knew that this would be different. This was Harry, *his* Harry. Draco decided he needed some time to calm down, then he could look at it differently.  
  
He cleared the trees, but didn't stop. He ran as hard as he could for the building and slipped through one of the side doors. Slightly disturbed that he still knew his way perfectly after not using this passage for at least three years, he headed for the one place where he could be safe from the impending manhunt that would be sent after him. He went through one last door and came to a stop.  
  
He only gave himself a few seconds or rest before emptying his pockets and placing all the files he had stolen on a nearby bench. He sat in the chair and began his wait.  
  
Forty five minutes had gone by before the doorknob turned. Draco sat back in the chair, getting face out of the dim glow from the lamp and stayed very quiet.  
  
Professor Snape walked in and shut the door, bolting it, but didn't turn around. "You have five minutes before I call for the Aurors." He said, as if speaking to the door.  
  
"I need your help." Draco replied softly.  
  
"This will be one of the first places they think to look for you."  
  
"We've hidden people from them before."  
  
Severus looked around at this one and smirked grimly. "Trying to send me on a .... what's the term? Guilt trip? ... You should know better than that."  
  
Draco stood up and help his head proudly. "I didn't do it. Not any of it. I'm not a killer."  
  
Severus walked further into the room. "And how can I be sure of that?"  
  
"You can't." Draco consented. "But I'm not asking for you to believe me, just hide me."  
  
The teacher turned away. "I'm afraid I can't do that, you'd better leave."  
  
"I need you to help me."  
  
Severus looked back and scowled. "I will not house a murderer!"  
  
That was the last straw for the young blonde. He had already had a very bad night and did not need this as well. "HOW DARE YOU?" He stalked over. "You ungrateful bastard!" He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "Now, I'm not saying that you owe me anything, but let's look at the facts, shall we?."  
  
"Get out."  
  
Severus went to turn away but Draco grabbed his arm and forced him back. He kept his voice calm, at least. "I believed in you, when no-one else would. Not Harry, not Lucius, not even Dumbledore. I took you in, when both sides were out to kill you. I took you in, even though I would have been killed myself, for helping." Severus looked away uncomfortably as Draco went on. "You turned up at my home, slowly bleeding to death and I didn't even ask why, just brought you in and hid you from my father like you asked. I hid you, I protected you. Hell, I defended you when no-one else would have thought twice about handing you in. I spent an hour and a half, stitching up your face as best I could, then another three days were used up, while I tried to hunt down the ingredients for the counter-potion to disarm the Reaction Potion." Draco took a step back. "And when you were finally cured and I could finally worry about me and the implications of my actions in that whole mess, what was the first thing I had to do? Well? Do you even remember?"  
  
Severus didn't answer, even though he remembered quite clearly.  
  
"I had to heal my face, because you had broken my jaw in three different places while I was trying to sew you back together. Then I had to fix my ribs." Draco raised his eyebrows arrogantly. "You know what? Fuck that! I've changed my mind, you *do* owe me. And guess what?" He grabbed Severus' chin and turned the man's face so they could look at each other. "I'm calling it in."  
  
Draco took a step back and put a strained smile on. "Now, you are going to return the favour, murderer or no murderer. And you're not going to argue about it either." He crossed his arms and waited to see what would happen.  
  
Severus took a deep breath and let it out, nodding slightly. "Very well. But I can't assure your safety. I don't know what stance Dumbledore is taken on all of this. He never said before whether or not he thought it was you."  
  
Draco shrugged. "We'll manage." He took his seat again and started to scratch at the arm rest.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Mmmm?"  
  
"You'll have to forgive me, if I still can't believe that you're innocent. There was a lot of evidence against you."  
  
Draco sighed. "I know. I have all of the files I could get in the short time before they started after me. I'm going to have to work this one out for myself if I want to survive."  
  
"There's something you should know ......"  
  
"Don't bother." Draco ran his hands through his hair and looked up. "I can already guess that there's an E.O.S. warrant out on me."  
  
"Eos?"  
  
Draco nodded. "Execute On Sight. Soon every witch and wizard in the world will know that Draco Hunting Season has just opened. If any witch or wizard, providing they have finished their education at school, such as Hogwarts, sees me, they have the right to use and means possible to contain me, if that fails ....." He faltered slightly. "If that fails, they are authorised to use the Killing Curse."  
  
"Oh? Well that wasn't what I was going to say." Severus poured them both a drink and handed Draco's to him.  
  
"Oh goodie, more bad news, well, lay it on me."  
  
"Some members of the Council are asking for Harry to receive the Death Penalty as well, given his involvement."  
  
Draco froze, the glass just to his lips. He shook himself a little and drank it down. "I should have seen that coming." He said softly, returning his glass to the table.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	26. Part Twenty Five : In The Closet

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: The world is crashing down! BTW 'In the closet' is slang, in some countries (mainly the western world) it refers to being gay, in others it refers to being in jail (you know, like a cell and everything), and sometimes they just mean that they were sitting in their stupid closet. Just didn't want any more cultural differences messing around with peoples minds. ........ (See, I *can* be considerate :P)  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twenty Five. In The Closet.  
  
Harry sat on the bench, staring at the floor as his Patronus practically danced around him. It helped keep the Dementors far enough away so that he could stay conscious, but not far enough for him to avoid the cold feeling in his skin.  
  
He'd been sitting there as soon as he had been charged and processed, which was five hours ago. No-one had come to talk to him since then, so he didn't know what was happening with Draco. And that was pretty much the only thing he could think of. He hated this not knowing thing, it was driving him crazy. He knew that if they caught him the execution would be reinstated, no trail, no testimonies, that would only be needed for when they went to trial for Harry's involvement.  
  
When Draco had Disapparated, it had taken Ron by surprise for a few moments. Apparently he hadn't considered that Draco would have sorted through his newly returned memories enough for that, which Harry was grateful for. Though he wasn't too sure how far his lover could get before they caught up. Harry dropped his head into his hands again, wondering how he could have screwed this all up so much. He knew he shouldn't have revealed the truth, not yet, Draco had needed more time, but then again, Harry wasn't too sure that any amount of time would have been enough to prepare anyone for such a dramatic switch.  
  
Then there was the small part of him that was relieved it was all out in the open. While he had been thrilled that he had managed to get Draco back, he couldn't completely overlook the fact that seventeen people had died since Draco had been released from Azkaban. Harry had tried everything he could think of to stop that from happening, the memory concealment, hopefully far back enough to stop whatever had turned Draco into a murderer ..... that hadn't seem to work. The brilliant idea of enforcing sleep upon him ..... had bounced as the blonde had the annoying habit of somehow waking up while under the strongest sleeping spell known, though it did leave him groggy and confused .... almost as if he was sleep walking.  
  
And then even following him everywhere when he went out had failed. By the time Harry would reach where Draco was standing when he used the portkey, it was impossible for the tracer spell to be able to latch on to the last remaining energy strands so that Harry could follow them and go after him.  
  
And now it was all out, everyone would know by the time the sun was up and Harry was being charged with accessory to seventeen murders and they would seriously consider checking to see if he had anything to do with the ones that had happened before Draco had been captured the first time. Harry didn't need anyone to come tell him to know that they were discussing whether he was liable for the death sentence. He had helped a killer get away, and people had died because of it, even he himself couldn't argue that he didn't really deserved that much. The truth was it scared the hell out of him when he thought about what he had done to save his fiancee, so he tried not to regularly.  
  
Luckily, when he thought about Draco, which was quite a lot of the time, he didn't think about blood, death, or any of those things, he just thought about how lonely he was without him, just like he was right now. So thinking about Draco, helped him ignore that fact that he'd had a hand in seventeen murders. It was easier that way.  
  
A coughing sound came from his right and he looked up, squinting slightly as his Patronus chose that moment to almost blind him. Hermione, Morgan and Ron were standing outside his cell, none of them looked very happy. In fact, Ron seemed to be refusing to acknowledge that Harry was there at all. He couldn't blame him.  
  
"Hello." He said softly.  
  
Morgan tried a smile, just missing the mark as Hermione raised an eyebrow. Ron didn't even look over.  
  
"Well Harry. I'd say you were in a right mess." Hermione flicked a loose strand of her fringe back out of her face. "But I guess you have no-one but yourself to blame." Her voice was hostile, but she was trying to hide it.  
  
Harry nodded slightly. "I guess." He sighed and looked back at the floor in front of him. "So, this means you haven't caught him yet?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I doubt very much that either you or Ron would come here, unless you needed me to think of a place he might go. Morgan might have come for another reason, but not you two."  
  
"Can you blame us?" She hissed out.  
  
He shook his head slowly. "No, not really."  
  
Morgan cleared his throat. "Er, I only came because I'm not too sure what to do with this, Draco told me to look after him." Morgan pulled a sleeping Steel out from under his outer robes. "I dosed him up with a sleeping potion so that he'd stop scratching at the door. He seems really miserable without either of you."  
  
Harry stuck his hand out through the bars and stroked the napping feline gently. "Yeah, you should probably give him back to Professor Snape. I guess he doesn't have an excuse to refuse now." Harry smiled, remembering how thrilled his former teacher had *not* been when Draco had presented him with a cat. Though he suspected now that Snape was rather fond of it, not that an admission of such kind would ever be uttered.  
  
"Well?" Hermione interrupted his thoughts impatiently.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Where would he go?"  
  
Harry thought about it for a few seconds. "He wouldn't go to his parents, he'd know that's the place you'd search the most. And he wouldn't go to Dumbledore because he couldn't be sure whether that would be to his advantage, or whether he'd be turned in. He wouldn't go to Russia ....." Harry trailed off.  
  
Morgan frowned, putting Steel back in the large inside pocket. "Why would he go to Russia?"  
  
"I don't know. But he's gone there before, for something. He never really talked about it. That always pissed me off."  
  
"Who cares where he wouldn't go! Just tell us somewhere he would." Hermione was starting to lose her temper.  
  
Harry scowled. "You know, if I went to all the trouble of getting him out of prison, why should I tell you where he would be now? Surely you thought of that?"  
  
"Because Potter, whoever he goes to now might be in danger, whether they help him or not. Who knows how nasty he is now, what with his memories back and all."  
  
Harry blinked. Hermione hadn't called him by his last name since they were in sixth year at Hogwarts. She only ever did that when curses were about to fly, and as his wand had been confiscated, it was not like he could defend himself. "Why should the memories make a difference? It didn't help to stop his need to kill."  
  
"Which only proves my previous theory that I had submitted. He's clearly suffering from some splintered personality condition, where two or more minds occupy the same body. In all likelihood, Draco might be innocent, he might not remember a thing about the killings, not clearly anyway, but, and this usually happens at, he goes through the changeover period in where he comes out as Mortel. Studies haven't yet shown how Mortel can have his memories but we are working on that. And if Mortel is feeling threatened, well he's going to take action and ....."  
  
"Yes, thank you Hermione. I did catch Fight Club at the cinema." Harry muttered back, starting to feel exhausted from the Dementors.  
  
"Don't trivialise this by some stupid movie Potter, this is real! People are dead, REAL PEOPLE! Now, either you tell us where he would have gone, or you'll probably have their deaths added to your list of charges as well. If that's what you want then fine, but we have to stop him, before he flips the switch and goes into blood lust mode, you stupid, arrogant BASTARD!"  
  
The last word was screamed and Harry flinched as the surge of emotions drew the Dementors closer. He looked back to them and saw Hermione, furious, Ron, still ignoring anything Harry related and Morgan, who almost looked piteous. "Harry? Now, you know me, and I'm having a hard enough time believing all this. I mean, well, it's me, Morgan, Draco's number one worshipper, but let's just look at this. If it *is* Draco ........ then whoever he's gone to could be in a lot of trouble." Morgan smiled weakly. "You don't want more people to die, do you?"  
  
Harry rubbed his face and wondered whether he really did want more innocent blood to be on his hands. "Snape." He said finally. "He'll go to Severus."  
  
"Oh for god's sake! Do we look as if we've had our brains removed? We looked there." Hermione spat back.  
  
Harry made a small smile and shrugged. "Look harder." He returned his gaze to the floor. "That's where he'll be."  
  
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Draco looked up from the stacks of paper work he was going through as Severus opened the door and looked in. "Did you have fun?"  
  
"No, and they could be back at anytime. That's the second time they've searched here."  
  
Draco shook his head. "They'll probably quit soon. The first time would have been of their own volition, then they would have gone to Harry and somehow convinced him to give them the best bet for my whereabouts."  
  
"And he knows you would have come here?"  
  
Draco nodded. "Yes, but he doesn't know about this place, so I should be okay."  
  
"Are you absolutely sure he doesn't know about it?"  
  
"I wouldn't be sitting in here if I wasn't." Draco flicked through some more paper work. "Hermione thinks I'm mental and that Mortel and I occupy the same body. She states that it's quite possible for him to know my memories, but for me not to remember the things that happened while he was in control." He snorted. "Personally, I think the girl has been watching too many American movies and that she should stick to patrolling and not dabble in amateur psychology."  
  
"If she's right, then for all you know, she could be right, which is why I am slightly relieved your locked in here."  
  
Draco grinned at the small joke and bowed his head to read some more. Severus excused himself and shut the door with the handle on the left side. He dragged it across the wood until it was positioned on the right side and then opened it again. This time, instead of showing the small room where Draco and the files had been, it showed a smaller space, with Severus' clothes hanging down. It was actually his wardrobe.  
  
It was very wide, about three metres and had one of those doors that folded as it was on hinges, which made moving the handle quite difficult as it had to be taken across the part of the door panels that the middle hinge was holding together. It had originally been Draco's from his home but the young man had presented it to his former teacher as a gift on his graduation day, saying he didn't have anything to hide anymore now that he was 'out'. Few had understood what the blonde had been talking about, assuming it refer only to the 'in the closet' thing and only Draco known the full extent of his words.  
  
Severus himself had hidden in that wardrobe when both sides had turned on him, believing him to be a traitor. He didn't know whether or not Draco had used it on anyone else, but sometimes when the young man looked at it, Severus got the impression that it held something of great significance to him.  
  
But Draco rarely talked about his years as a spy, especially not after the incident just before the end of year six, and Severus felt it was not his place to intrude on such matters. He knew all too well that some things were better left forgotten.  
  
That thought made him stop and look back. The idea that perhaps Draco was thinking having no memories of some things, could be a lot easier, occurred to the elder wizard. But Severus let it slide for now, knowing what Draco could be like when pressured into talking about something he didn't want to.  
  
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Draco stared at the now closed door. The hidden room was not very large, and once a bed was placed in it, very little room was left at all. He'd only ever used it to hide other people, but had never had to resort to hiding himself in it, except that one time, but that was not quite the same, more like, keeping the person company as the other hid. Severus' stay had not been too bad, once they had both healed from their various injuries, because he trusted Draco and had known that any means, even one as drastic as that, had been necessary. But when it had been others that had hidden there, it had been much harder.  
  
And then there were times involving that cupboard that he would rather not think about at all. Things he had trained himself not to think about, before the memory suppression. But he knew those weren't his fault so he let it go.  
  
Draco rubbed his eyes, feeling exhausted and wondered how Harry was doing. The anger he had felt before was dimming slightly, but not by much.  
  
But that didn't mean he didn't care.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	27. Part Twenty Six : Live The Dream

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Some blood mentioned but it's okay.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twenty Six. Live The Dream.  
  
'During his trial, Draco Malfoy, Aged 21, Level 1 Auror - Field Officer, British Division, Id Number 37226, showed little remorse for his crimes and verbally maintained his innocence throughout.  
  
Even as the 'Guilty' verdict was announced, he showed only disbelief. While many thought this to be that he may have in fact been innocent, I personally hold true to the statement I made before the trial, that the prisoner simply believed that his money, status and connections would be able to swing the court's decision in his favour.  
  
Due to the violent nature of the crimes, coupled with his lack of remorse, I see no reason to waive the sentence for a more lenient term and I am overruling the objection to appeal, and ordering the punishment of execution to be upheld.  
  
Judge Acerb'  
  
Draco scrunched his nose up and tossed that piece of paper back into the pile. Judge Acerb had never liked him anyway, so he wasn't too surprised. But why that Judge was permitted in on this case, given his well known prejudice towards the Malfoy family, was beyond the young man as he spent another day sifting through files.  
  
His eyes ached but he knew that he didn't have any time for just sitting back and doing nothing. If they were going to charge Harry with accessory to all the attacks that had taken place since Draco had been released, then there was a good chance some of the more demanding members of the council would get their way and have him executed.  
  
There wasn't a chance in hell Draco was going to allow that to happen. He still hadn't had the opportunity to yell at Harry, himself. He stretched briefly and picked out another file from a different folder, scan reading for anything of interest.  
  
'Harry Potter, Aged 21, Level 1 Auror - Field Officer, British Division, Id Number 37247, seemed reluctant when he testified to discovering the defendant with the victim, Ron Weasley, knife in hand. His story of events was confirmed by co-worker Hermione Granger, giving almost the same statement. Due to Veritaserum not in use on many of the people involved with evidence in this trial, these reports were taken more serious than others as Miss Granger and Mister Potter both had an emotional attachment of some sort to the defendant prior to the incident and this hearing.'  
  
Draco sighed, realising exactly how bad it had looked when they found him with Ron. But he also knew that Harry and Hermione hadn't seen the whole story.  
  
Draco remembered it well, it had only been a few weeks before the execution that never came.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There had been a vicious attack at Hogsmeade and it was undoubtedly an act by Mortel, which testing of the evidence later proved. Dumbledore, concerned for the students of Hogwarts, had requested the Ministry to provide some sort of protection, but forbade the Dementors to be around the children. Draco, Harry, Hermione, Ron and the new trainee, Morgan, arrived the next day, even though they hadn't technically been given clearance by any of their superiors. And as Ron was a Curse-breaker and not an Auror in the strictest sense of the word, he'd had to go under the guise of a guest teacher to the DADA classes.  
  
They had divided the castle into five sections, each person getting thirteen floors to watch over during the night and then rotating to the following section the next evening. It wasn't as difficult as it sounded what with the portraits also taking up the watch and lending a hand in shifts.  
  
For three nights all was calm and boring. Draco was starting to think that he would be quite happy to detonate the entire castle into rubble. On the fourth night, he was designated to the very top of the school. Hermione had the level below him, then Morgan, then Harry, leaving Ron to do the tour that included the dungeons.  
  
He had been wandering, almost in a daze, not really paying much attention to his surroundings when he yawned and told himself to wake up. He was just about to head up one of the staircases that lead to the roof, when something started up down the corridor. He looked down and then walked to the nearest one where the Fat Lady was standing with five other portrait figures. They spotted him and frantically beckoned him closer.  
  
"Oh, Malfoy, Malfoy." The Fat Lady panted out, keeping her voice low for some reason. "You have to go down."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"The portrait, three down, Gertrude, she had one of her visions again." The Fat Lady paused for breath. "She says the dungeon is dripping with blood. You have to go down, you have to stop what ever is happening."  
  
Normally, Draco wouldn't listen to such rubbish. Trelawney had pretty much solidified his contempt for such matters as visions. But the portrait in question had once had another vision, back a few years when Draco was just beginning his sixth year. Given his disdain, he had dismissed it that time. Thankfully, he managed to live to regret it.  
  
Thinking of that, it took him less than a second to react to this vision. He rushed down three flights and over to one of the statues near the opening to the Gryffindor dormitories. Violently, pushing it to the side, he raised his right hand and cut the tip of his pinkie finger on the jagged nail that had been placed there for convenience about thirty years back. He dabbed the tiny measure of blood that had welled up on to the wall, hoping that the concealment spell would still recognise him as a Slytherin.  
  
It must have, because the hidden door became visible and he pushed hard, swinging it inwards. He didn't even bother to shut it, just groped blindly for one the brooms without looking. His hand closed over a handle and he hopped on and started to drop down at the same time. Small patches of light, the exits to each floor flashed past him at a frightening speed. He finally pulled to a shuddering halt when he reached the fully lit section, the bottom of the shaft, the dungeons.  
  
He burst out of the small passage. "RON?" He received no answer. "WEASLEY?"  
  
"You, the Malfoy boy! Over here!"  
  
Draco recognised the portrait of the head of Slytherin that came before Snape and hurried over. "I'm looking for the red head."  
  
"He went into the old forge." The portrait gave a tight smile. "I actually haven't seen him come out yet."  
  
Draco nodded his thanks and headed for the second door on his left. Opening it and muttering for the torches to light answered almost all of his questions. His stood there, stunned for a few seconds before his mind forced his body to move. Ron was nailed to a wall with the same thick nails that always made you think of the crucifixion of Christ. A knife was levitated in front of the red head, just under his chin with his throat already partly cut open. Blood was slowly ebbing out and down the man's front.  
  
Draco reached the other and searched his face for any sign that he could be seen. "Ron?" There was no reaction. Draco looked him over summarising that the spells for blindness and deafness were in place. He grabbed the knife and tried to pull it away but it wouldn't budge. Reaching for his wand, he tried to end the spells but to no avail. Deciding that these ones must have been of a different form to compensate for the fact that the victim was a fully grown wizard, he had no clue how to end them. "Damn it, I'm not a bloody Curse-breaker." He muttered under his breath. He gently laid his hand on Ron's shoulder causing the other to thrash just a little, mainly in the leg region.  
  
Draco tried again to pull the knife out and away but just ended up holding on to it. "Shit, Weasley, I wish you could hear me." He squeezed the shoulder gently. A noise came from his left and his eyes scanned the shadowy area, realising that if this was done by Mortel, there was a good chance the killer was still close by.  
  
He was just about to raise his wand and send for back up when he heard a gasp behind him. Spinning and, though he didn't realise it straight away, dragging the knife out of the soft flesh and away from the other man's throat, Draco found Harry and Hermione standing in the doorway, both staring at him in horror. He looked in confusion to his hand, seeing the knife that no longer seemed to be cursed. It took him less than a second to realise just how bad it looked. He gave a tense smile to the new arrivals to the scene. "Ah, no, it's not what it seems." They both raised their wands at him in silence and Draco gave a deep sigh. "Ah, shit."  
  
"Don't move, Malfoy." Hermione growled out. Her brain was obviously working overtime to keep up with everything that was happening.  
  
Draco held his arms out wide to his sides and dropped both the knife and his wand. "I didn't do anything wrong. It's not how it looks."  
  
"Just to be safe, I think we'll take you into custody anyway. Ron, honey, can you hear me?"  
  
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"Draco?"  
  
The blonde blinked, snapping out of his thought and looked to the door. "Severus?"  
  
"Would you like to come and have a drink?"  
  
"Um ...."  
  
"I believe it's fairly safe."  
  
He nodded, hoping off the bed and knocking countless pieces of paper to the floor. "Sure, why not. I think I could use one." He followed the elder man to the chairs and hopped into the one he had claimed as his, many years ago.  
  
"You seemed to be lost in thought just now."  
  
"I was just thinking about the night I was arrested." Draco compared having the memory, instead of the brief touches he used to get in his dreams as his mind fought desperately against the repression spell. The closest he'd ever managed to get to his memories had been while he was asleep, as his subconscious tried to bring them forward.  
  
"I heard your testimony of that, I went to the trial on all three days."  
  
"Yeah, it was fairly exhausting, wasn't it?"  
  
"It was strange to hear Harry stand up and basically condemn you."  
  
"He just told them what he saw, it did look fairly incriminating. All of it."  
  
"Yes, the lack of alibi, the blood of the previous victim on your cloak and your shoes."  
  
"Our shoes."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We have the same shoe size so we buy four pairs of each type of shoe. We just wear whichever ones we grab."  
  
"Ah, I see."  
  
"Any news on how he's going?"  
  
"Dumbledore came down and said that he's been placed under strict house arrest, due to the progressive weakening of his Patronus. Apparently his history still has some sway with the council."  
  
"Pity, would be interesting to see how he likes being locked up in there, thinking that no-one was on his side."  
  
"You hate him that much?"  
  
Draco sighed and shook his head. "No. I don't hate him. I'm exceedingly pissed off with him, but I don't hate him." He smiled sadly. "To be truthful, if the situation had been reversed I can't honestly say I wouldn't have done the same ...... or worse."  
  
"Then why are you so angry?"  
  
Draco looked over and Snape could certainly see the pain in his eyes, if nowhere else. Something you never usually get to see from a Malfoy, unless they trusted you unconditionally.  
  
"He knew very well that I believed it to be my last night on earth and when I asked him, practically begged him, to say he believed me when I said I was innocent, he didn't say a word, just looked at me." Draco threw the folder away violently. "I mean, he didn't even have the decency to lie!"  
  
Snape smiled slightly at Draco's scowl but didn't say anything in reply. Instead, he looked to his time piece that was over on the desk. Clearing his throat he waited for Draco to look back. "It's eleven o'clock."  
  
Draco's eyes flicked to the desk for a moment. "Well, then I guess you'd better fetch it for me."  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"  
  
The blonde nodded calmly. "This is how it has to be."  
  
Snape stood and walked to the cupboard that ran along the back wall. He opened it after deactivating the locking spell and selected a large phial filled with a grey liquid. Walking back, he handed it over to his former student and watched as the young man glared at it, trying to work up the spirit to drink it. "You don't have to do this."  
  
Draco nodded again. "Yes, I do." Scrunching his face up, even though the potion smelt mild and had rather a pleasant taste, he drank it down quickly. "Well, that wasn't too bad, but I've always hated doing this."  
  
Snape gave a grim smile, nodding again himself and sat down, waiting for when the potion would complete its task.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	28. Part Twenty Seven : Home, Sweet Home

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Ah, the beauty of friends turning on each other.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twenty Seven. Home Sweet Home.  
  
"Don't bother, I won't lie." Harry said softly. He was sitting on that dreaded chair with the chains. The one he'd first seen when he was fourteen, in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Thankfully though, the aforementioned chains were not done up on this occasion, though his hands were bound together and resting in his lap. The presiding judges were currently talking amongst themselves about whether or not it was worth all the trouble of giving him Veritaserum.  
  
They looked at each other sceptically and then after a few shrugs, motioned for the drug to be taken away. Judge Acerb raised his quill for attention. "If I may?" No-one objected, but Harry dearly wished to. "Would the defendant please give his testimony, in relation to the charges."  
  
Harry nodded sullenly. "I fabricated the whole story about witnessing the separation of a spirit from Draco when he was imprisoned."  
  
"How?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"My records show that you were given Veritaserum. How did you lie when you were under its influence?"  
  
"I didn't, I only conditioned my speech before I went to them. They just didn't ask the right questions."  
  
"Hmmm. Verbal misdirection." Acerb wrote something on his parchment. "Another disgusting habit you must have picked up from Dumbledore."  
  
"What?" Harry scowled briefly before returning his gaze to the floor.  
  
"How did you set the scene up?"  
  
"Draco was going to be executed. I went to Sir Nicholas de Mimsy and ....."  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"The Gryffindor ghost at Hogwarts. I went to him and asked if he could put me in touch with a ghost that would help me with Draco. The Bloody Baron offered his services to help out a fellow Slytherin. I told him the plan and he agreed. I cast the spell to suppress Draco's memories just as the Baron passed through him, therefore leaving me quite capable to say that magic crackled through the air and I saw a spirit rise from Draco's body. I conditioned myself to say that and only that if you somehow had worked out a way to give me truth serum." Harry felt a slight twinge of satisfaction as even the judges muttered amongst themselves in surprise.  
  
"And your reason for this horrific crime?"  
  
Harry raised his eyes for another glare. "You were going to kill him. I wasn't just going to sit back and watch."  
  
"He was found guilty of capital murder. Twenty seven counts of first degree murder." Acerb raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Do you have any reason to believe he was innocent?"  
  
"A small part of me refused to ever believe that he did it." Harry gave a sneer to the judge in question. "The rest of me just didn't care."  
  
"So let me see if I have his right. You, in all your wisdom, released a convicted serial killer therefore allowing him to continue with his preferred past-time, all because you were sleeping with him?"  
  
"I did it because I love him."  
  
"You allowed a convicted murderer to be released, where he went on to attack nine people. That we know of, that is. There could be more. A crime such as this *must* be handled carefully. The council will now retire to the conference room to deliberate."  
  
They stood and walked out as an Auror walked over to Harry to lead him to the side. Dumbledore had taken to sitting on the first level for this trial, making him just behind Harry. The elderly wizard lent over and placed a hand on his shoulder, earning him a small smile. "And how are you today, Harry?"  
  
"Fine, sir. Just fine." Was the tired reply.  
  
"Best to get comfortable. The council could take hours to decide on what to do."  
  
"I'll bet I can guess what Acerb wants."  
  
"You can't be positive, though."  
  
"Bullshit. He's always had it in for Draco."  
  
"You are not Draco."  
  
Harry glared back at the floor. "Close enough in his mind."  
  
"I'm sure things will not be too bad. You will most likely receive only a short sentence. Your past actions will undoubtedly be in the back of most of their minds."  
  
"Things shouldn't work like that."  
  
"No, they shouldn't, but usually they do."  
  
"And what of Draco?" Harry looked around as he slouched in his boxed chair. "What will happen then?"  
  
"When he is found, his previous sentence will be carried out."  
  
Harry turned his face away from his old professor. "I hope they never find him."  
  
Dumbledore again patted Harry's shoulder. "His execution would probably be for the best, don't you think?"  
  
"No." Harry sulked back.  
  
Dumbledore straightened himself in his chair and gave the back of Harry's head a sad smile. "Young love, so stubborn."  
  
Harry didn't reply, only looked around the audience as best he could, the torches making some parts rather difficult to see. He spotted Professor Snape near the back of the second tier and briefly wondered if he had been wrong about Draco going there. Hermione had told him that they had searched every single speck of dust and still found nothing.  
  
To his right and down a little, he saw Hermione sitting next to Morgan. His old school friend still had not forgiven him, and Harry doubted that she ever would. Morgan gave him a smile and a wave and he raised his hand in return. Hermione smacked the younger Auror in the arm and he glared at her, saying something that Harry couldn't hear.  
  
The excruciating wait seemed to last for days but it was actually only a matter of hours. As the council came back in, Harry was lead back to the chair in the centre. As he followed, he looked to the judges and had to allow a small smile. Acerb was furious about something and Harry had the idea that probably meant they weren't going to execute him. He sat in his seat and looked at them expectantly. One of the judges to the left stood at his bench without sitting down, obviously having been the one to announce the decision.  
  
"The members of this court have heard what we can only assume to be the truth from the defendant. However, we have been unable to agree on what the outcome should be. A case as complicated as this could take any number of days for us to reach an acceptable decision that we can all adhere to. Therefore, we have no choice but to announce that we shall be remaining here and discussing this until such an agreement can be reached. During this time it has been decided that, due to the defendant's strong reaction to the Dementors, he shall be placed under strict house arrest for the length of our conference."  
  
There were many gasps and mutterings of surprise and Harry couldn't blame the audience for it. He had no idea what the hell they were doing either. But the council appeared to have said all they were going to as they once again left for the conference room. Harry was lead towards the row of chairs where Hermione and Morgan had been sitting. Hermione was already talking to the boss and seemed to be fighting with him about something.  
  
"There's not a chance in hell that'd I'd help him to escape!" Harry heard her practically shout as he got closer.  
  
Harry was pulled to a sudden stop in front of the slowly growing group of Aurors. It seemed that Hermione wished to be one of the guards to watch over Harry, something that didn't fill him with relief. He knew very well how awful it could be when Hermione was enraged. In the end, Hermione was granted partial guardianship along with two other Aurors that Harry didn't know. Morgan offered to come along anyway and be some company which Harry accepted gratefully, although he felt guilty when the young man received a few glares from other work mates.  
  
When they arrived, Harry thought his apartment felt cold and awful without the chance of Draco coming home. That was one of the things he had hated the most when they had arrested him all those months ago. Hermione roughly pushed him in the direction of the couch and he saw no reason to not sit down. The three Aurors assigned to watch him went through almost all of his and Draco's thing, making sure there was nothing he could use to his advantage. Setting up new wards, making it impossible for him to leave by any means.  
  
Hermione even removed the phone that was in the bedroom and chucked it onto the dinner table. "No calls, no television, no radio, no writing, no leaving the presence of any of us at any time, no wand," She didn't need to say that, it was still at the Holding Department. "No going near the windows, no reading, no cooking and please, try not to talk to me, I can barely tolerate looking at you."  
  
"I noticed Ron wasn't at my trial." Harry said softly.  
  
"Can you blame him?" She scowled again. "He's gone to help out Bill in Egypt for awhile. Until he calms down."  
  
Harry nodded. His rubbed his wrist once the bindings were removed and looked to Morgan.  
  
"Cheer up Harry. I'm sure things will go okay." The young wizard wasn't very convincing, not even to himself.  
  
"Hopefully not." Hermione spat as the two other guardians shifted uncomfortably where they stood. "With a little luck, they'll execute you too."  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
"Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me, Morgan, he deserves nothing less."  
  
"She's right." Harry sighed. "But she's also biased."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be angry because you allowed my fiancee's attacker to go free? Malfoy nearly killed him! And you, you turned your back on your best friend to save your lover?"  
  
Harry scowled. "They were going to kill him! What? If it had been Ron, you would have just sat back and done nothing?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. I choose my partners better than you. *My* boyfriend sure as hell wouldn't get off on slaughtering people as if they were cattle. You should have just let him pay his due and found someone else to fuck!"  
  
Harry snarled. "I love him, and guess what, I'd do it again too! Would you like to hear the awful truth, Hermione? When I found him, holding the knife to Ron's throat, the first thing I thought of was that I might have to cast a memory charm."  
  
Hermione took a step back. "What?"  
  
Harry help his head up stubbornly. "It was simple, once everything had sunk in. I'd talk Draco down and then make it look as if we found him like that. Wait for Ron to wake up, see if he could remember who attacked him and if he did, wipe it out. But no, then you had to turn up and ruin it all. I knew there wasn't a chance I could convince you to not tell anyone."  
  
"You would have covered it up at the start? You sick bastard!"  
  
"Don't give me that bullshit, Granger. You would have done the exact same."  
  
"Yeah, well if Ron tried to hurt Malfoy, you would have killed him on the spot. Maybe you should be grateful I didn't. It left him free to go on and kill more innocent people."  
  
"The evidence was circumstantial."  
  
"Circumstantial? The blood on his clothes and shoes, the fact that he never had an alibi, his background in torture and pain!"  
  
"Oh, don't bring Voldemort into this you stupid bitch! He did what had to be done, even the Ministry had to clear him of that. And Acerb wanted him to burn for it."  
  
"Well mark my words, Potter, Acerb will get what he wants this time. I only wish I could be the one to kill him. I'll have to shake the hand of the witch or wizard who does it."  
  
"Do you honestly think he'd let himself get killed? I'm not the one who sleeps with the idiots in this world."  
  
"So it's not enough you were going to stand back and watch him die, you also think Ron's an idiot?"  
  
"He's marrying *you*, isn't he?" Harry spat back.  
  
Hermione's eyes narrowed and then she jumped as the recently disconnected phone fell from the table with a thump. "Morgan! I though you were going to get rid of that BLOODY CAT?"  
  
Steel jumped down from the table as Hermione walked over to close the window he had used for an entrance. The feline hopped up onto the couch arm and then moved across, settling himself in Harry's lap. He purred as Morgan reached over to scratch his head.  
  
"I think he can tell there's something wrong with you and Draco." The young Auror muttered. "He's been a right little prat ever since that night. I couldn't even find him yesterday when I came to collect him, I was supposed to return him to Severus."  
  
"I guess Steel wants to stay here." Harry was starting to calm down as he rubbed the cat's stomach. "It's okay, I don't think Professor Snape will mind. But when they take me to prison, he'll have to go back then. There'll be no-one left to care for him here."  
  
Steel stretched out, rubbing himself on Harry's legs and then curled up, ready to go to sleep.  
  
"Oh, no you don't, if you're going to sleep, I'm moving to the bedroom. You can sleep on the pillow." Harry picked him up and ignored Hermione as he walked passed. Morgan followed, as did the male Auror, Edwards. Harry lay down, placing Steel on Draco's pillow and shifted his legs for Morgan to sit at the foot of the bed. Edwards took the chair in the corner, irritating Harry with his silence.  
  
They sat there quietly for awhile, Steel shifting every now and then and looking at Harry as if to check he was still there. Hermione came in after a few minutes looking smug. "Well, Harry. Rationalise this one. The results are back from the blood. It wasn't easy but they managed to separate some of the energy residue." She tossed the report to the bed. "It's Malfoy's. Your cute little lunatic is Jack the fucking Ripper."  
  
Harry just continued to stroke Steel's tail, as if he hadn't heard.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	29. Part Twenty Eight : You'll Remember Me

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Destiny is closing in.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Twenty Eight. You'll Remember Me.  
  
"Report just in from Muggle land!" Morgan hollered as he paid the owl and ripped the envelope open.  
  
It had been three days and still there was no word from the council. Harry was sure that anymore than this and he would go on a suicidal rampage himself. Thankfully he had managed to talk everyone into the idea of him at least being able to go to the toilet on his own without having Edwards or Taylor standing there and watching him. That had made his skin crawl.  
  
"What's it say?" Harry really didn't want to know, it would probably just depress him more.  
  
"Er, oh, nothing." Morgan went to put the letter into one of the Auror folders but Hermione grabbed it off him.  
  
She gave a grim smile. "On the night you were arrested, a young girl arrived home late from her local library looking rather dishevelled with a few bruises on her arms and almost in tears. Her parents immediately called the police and she gave a statement to the effect of how she didn't know what happened, she didn't really remember anything unusual except for one thing, a man telling her to run home. She didn't get a very good look at him but handed over a few strands of white blonde hair, saying she also didn't know how she had got them or who they had come from. A blood sample was taken from her and it has been determined that she has had a few minutes of her memory removed, though nothing major seemed to have occurred during the lost time. Tests are still being run on the hair sample."  
  
Harry sighed, wondering when the hell that was his life, would come to an end. Everyday things just seemed to get worse. "Why would Mortel let her live?"  
  
"Maybe someone interrupted and Malfoy got scared off?"  
  
Harry ignored the fact that Hermione had said Malfoy, while she ignored the fact that he had said Mortel. Morgan just sulked in the corner of the room. Edwards and Taylor didn't seem to say much at any time so their lack of comment now was barely noticed. They actually appeared quite terrified of Harry, or at least awed and could only manage a grunt in the early hours of the day when he woke up and sullenly wished them a good morning. It annoyed the hell out of him.  
  
"Could you guys bugger off, if you're going to do your statue routine?" Harry said to the silent sentinels. "I'm sure Hermione is quite capable of killing me if I so much as sneeze." He gave a smile to their surprised looks. "You freak me out."  
  
They looked to Hermione and she shrugged, motioning to them that it was okay. They shuffled out, still not saying anything.  
  
"Well," He said looking at her carefully. "Don't you want to gloat some more?"  
  
"Not really." She moved to sit at the end of the bed. "Now look Harry, how long have we known each other?"  
  
"About ten years."  
  
"Exactly." She sighed and rubbed her eyes as if she had another one of her frequent headaches. Harry bit back the impulse to say that thinking obviously didn't suit her and let her continue. "I thought I knew who you were and in a way I still do. I can see why *you* would do what you did. You're so terrified of being alone and all, but you have to understand why I think you're a complete arsehole."  
  
"I do. What? You think I missed the implications of my actions? Trust me, I didn't. I just thought if I could get him to stop killing, everything would be okay. Ron would have recovered just fine, everyone would have been happy."  
  
"Then why didn't you turn him back in when the murders started up again?"  
  
He scowled and looked away. "I just couldn't. I still can't. Not that it matters."  
  
"So you have no idea where he might be?"  
  
Morgan snorted and stood up. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to all this again. I'm going to see Tweedledee and Tweedledum and check what's on for dinner."  
  
Harry nodded, raising his hand for Hermione to not start in on him. Morgan was still taking all of this very badly and Harry remembered very distinctly that it was not good to mess with the younger man's idolised notion of Draco. The last time that had been done, Harry ended up having to replace most of the windows in his apartment and a few of the figurines too.  
  
Morgan looked back as he held the door open. His face was almost blank. "I'm sorry for being such a prick, I just can't believe that it was Draco." His voice held no emotion. He gave a cold smile and walked out, closing the door behind himself.  
  
"Silly boy, doesn't he know we're not in school anymore?"  
  
"Leave it, Hermione. You know how much he adores Draco. This isn't any easier on him than it was the last time."  
  
"He told me that some of Dra ... Malfoy's last words to him was to not believe it."  
  
"Then that's what he'll do. He won't believe it, not even if he watches it with his own eyes."  
  
"He never follows any of my orders that well."  
  
Harry gave a spiritless laugh. "You're not Draco. Morgan would do anything for him."  
  
"Apparently he's not the only one."  
  
"Mmmm."  
  
"Do you think Morgan would know where he is?"  
  
"No, Draco wouldn't tell him anything, wouldn't want to endanger him or drag him into trouble. It's a twisted relationship they have." Harry's voice betrayed his rising anger even if his face didn't. He had never been a huge fan of the way Draco and Morgan seemed to work together and the last few months had not helped the matter. He hissed in displeasure at the memory of the Valentine's Day card incident before he reminded himself that he was being stupid.  
  
"Well, look, I've got another case that I've been working on in my own time and I really should get back to it." She stood up and there was an awkward silence for a few seconds. "I'll send in Pinkie and Perky." She walked out and closed the door softly as he closed his eyes, wondering where it had all gone so wrong.  
  
He opened them again and reached for the photo album that was in the bedside table drawer. He flicked through idly until he came to the one he was looking for. Draco, himself, Hermione and Ron. Auror Training Graduation. Draco's hand was on his shoulder and Hermione's arm was around his waist. Every now and then Ron would lean forward slightly and pull a face at Harry's image. They all seemed so happy. Harry counted the differences.  
  
Ron was in Egypt, furious at him.  
  
Hermione was probably back at her home by now, furious at him.  
  
Draco was god knows where, probably just as furious at him as he had been the last time they had seen each other.  
  
Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly and flicked to the next page. It was a photo from the day that Morgan had joined them for Training. Usually Aurors as young as he and Draco had been at the time were not called upon to train others. But because of both of their backgrounds in fighting the Dark Arts and the fact that no-one else really wanted to train Morgan, he hadn't been the best in his class, not by a long shot, they had been allowed to take him in and train him as best as they could. Mostly, Morgan's good track record was according to Draco, as a very strict nature bubbled underneath the almost innocent looking blonde appearance.  
  
Harry could console himself with one thing. Morgan wasn't furious at him. Morgan was probably mentally kissing his feet for what he had done. He knew it was foolish to get jealous of the way Morgan worshipped Draco. He knew that anything even resembling the crush the younger man had once had would probably be quite changed by now. Morgan only looked up to Draco.  
  
Harry also knew that he really couldn't blame Draco for the way he covered Morgan in and almost suffocating protection. He did the exact same. He nodded in agreement the day Draco had said he wanted to train that one.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh, come on, Harry. It'll be fun! I've watched this one during trials, he's got potential. Seems like a sweet kid, really. Besides, would you rather one from Beauxbaton?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry snorted. Draco had always had some weird ideas about that school. He used to say that the could manage to take and perfectly normal and ordinary child and turn them into a raving lunatic. Harry had never understood what was meant by that and he also didn't understand the strange prickling sensation he got from the look in those grey eyes that always accompanied the statement.  
  
He looked up at the closed door as the phone outside on the kitchen divider started to ring.  
  
And kept on doing so.  
  
"Hermione, are you going to get that?" He received no reply and the phone kept ringing. "Hermione? Morgan?" He got off the bed and walked over, opening the door. "Morgan?" He walked slowly forwards wondering where the hell everyone had gone. "Ah, guys. I'm supposed to be guarded every second of the day. Where are you?" He ignored the phone as he spotted something behind the couch. It was Hermione's shoe.  
  
Feeling the fear rise, Harry forced himself to walk further over. Hermione was lying on the floor, with a think nail through her right eye. Harry gasped, slapping his hand over his mouth. He struggled to pull it away. "Hermione?" His voice failed him as a sense of dread spread through his body.  
  
"She moved."  
  
Harry jumped at the voice and turned towards the kitchen.  
  
"She really shouldn't have moved."  
  
Harry's mouth dropped open as his mind tried to take it all in. "What?" Was the first thing he could force out of his mouth. His eyes moved slowly down to the thick nail held in the other's right hand. He looked back up and shook his head. "No, not you." He whispered sadly. "It can't be you."  
  
The phone gave one final ring and then fell silent.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	30. Part Twenty Nine : Memories Of Old

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: I actually wrote the ending first so we finally made it back to the original stuff. 1 more part and then the epilogue to go! YAY!...  
  
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Blood & Nails..  
  
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Part Twenty Nine. Memories Of Old.  
  
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As it had been impossible for Severus to acquire a transcript of the trial due to the fact that the decision had been announced as pending, Draco had managed to talk his old teacher into making up a Pensieve and letting him experience it for himself. So over the next few days, many long hours were spent, tapping his foot impatiently as it was made. As he had looked into the shimmering silver liquid he had felt the automatic reaction of fear rise. But he just pushed it away and stuck his hand in.  
  
The first thing he said as soon as he had returned from watching it, was. "Why the hell would they offer to give him Veritaserum?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Severus was sitting in front of the fireplace, reading through some of the notes Draco had stolen from Hermione.  
  
"Why would they bring the Veritaserum out? We can dismantle it.  
  
"Snape looked up and frowned. "Perhaps they have developed an unbreakable formula?"  
  
"And not gloated about it? Hardly."  
  
"They might not want it to be public knowledge."  
  
"Severus, if it's unbreakable, I hardly see how anyone knowing about it would provide an advantage for future criminals."  
  
"Well then I don't know. Perhaps I should ask Dumbledore."  
  
"He doesn't even know that you were there, let's not make him curious about your interest in the whole situation. I managed to hear what he said to Harry in regards to my execution."  
  
"Yes, it's an unpleasant thing to know that Dumbledore is not on your side. I've been there before."  
  
"At least you had me." Draco said sullenly.  
  
"Am I not doing enough to aide your escapade?"  
  
"You think I'm a homicidal maniac! Don't think I haven't noticed that you lock your bedroom door at night."  
  
"Merely a formal precaution."  
  
"Draco snorted good-naturedly. "Yeah, sure." His thoughts turned back to the whole Veritaserum angle. He frowned. "They must have come up with a way to make it work, even in us, but how?"  
  
"Are you addressing me, or merely the furniture."  
  
"Whichever gives me the most intelligent answer." Was his speedy reply that earned him a smirk. "They also gave it to him the night before I was released. Then they gave it to me, but if they doubted it would work when they gave it to him, why bother giving it to me if they were unsure of my memories?"  
  
"I really couldn't say."  
  
"Unless they were certain he wouldn't have been able to dismantle it." His head titled to the side slightly as he ran a few scenarios around in his mind. He blinked suddenly and looked up.  
  
"Severus?"  
  
"Mmmm?""If you mixed an Amber Dreams potion in with water and Veritaserum, would it affect the taste much?"  
  
"I shouldn't imagine so, it would still smell of lemon and blood, and the taste would be very similar. Why?"  
  
"Would one clash with the other?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Mix them together, yeah? Well, would you still fall asleep and would you still tell the truth?"  
  
Severus thought about both potions in their basic forms and noted the similar ingredients in each. "Perhaps. Is there a reason to all this?"  
  
"They gave me water and Veritaserum. Or what I thought was water and Veritaserum. After a few minutes my head started to pound. I became dizzy, my vision blurred. My thoughts seemed to accelerate, then I passed out. I woke up feeling better though."  
  
"Hmmm, blurred vision, sudden unconsciousness. They have been attributed to some sleeping potions, but why would Dumbledore give one to you?"  
  
"You disable Veritaserum internally with magic, sleep is the most unlikely time that you would do such a thing. They probably would have asked me stuff while I was asleep as well."  
  
"So you think they mixed it up, gave it to you then asked you questions all over again while you were unconscious?"  
  
"I wouldn't put it passed him. Or them. I know what Aurors are like." Draco smiled.  
  
"Well, in theory it would work. Veritaserum has a strong persuasive component to it, so they just don't sit there and not say anything at all. But how on earth would they have thought to do such a thing?"  
  
"Probably by Harry being an idiot. All things considered, he would have rushed up to the board of directors, blurting out weird things about spirits and magic. Looking panicked, to be more believable."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Well, if he just charged in there, he wouldn't have had time to cast his Patronus. There is a reason the directors of Aurors are a bunch or arseholes you know. The impact of ten Dementors lined up next to the doors on the inside of the room would have knocked him out cold if he wasn't concentrating properly."  
  
"He never learns, does he?"  
  
Draco smirked. "Not my Harry. Maybe in another dimension ..... ""Well, your theory is sound, at least."  
  
"Yeah, great. Now if I could just apply my supposed genius nature to working out who the hell was trying to frame me for murder, I'd be set."  
  
"If Miss Granger's hypothesis on split personality correct, it could have been you."  
  
"It could have been you too, sir."  
  
"Indeed." Severus looked over and finally decided that Draco wasn't leaving him alone anytime soon and shut his book. He ignored the victorious smirk that the blonde man tried to hide. "Oh, all right. Remind me of the evidence that was against you."  
  
"Blood on the cloak and shoes."  
  
"And the fact that you were found with a knife against Mister Weasley throat."  
  
"I've explained that already. I, at least, know what happened that night."  
  
"Well, you and the real killer, if it's not you."  
  
"God damn it Severus, it wasn't me. I think I know my own mind. I'm not crazy."  
  
Severus went to reply but was cut off.  
  
"If you dare say that denial is the first sign I'm going to show you how to really slaughter someone. Don't forget that, thanks to Voldemort, I was handed over to the best instructor when it came to torture."  
  
"Hmmm." Severus nodded, not daring to remind his former student of anything else that should probably be left in the past. "I remember."  
  
"In a way, Harry did me a favour, for a few months." Draco licked his lips and felt his hand start up on it's give-away twitch. He balled it into a fist and slammed it down. "Okay, so the cloak and shoes. My cloak, our shoes."  
  
"The most likely person to have put the blood there would be Harry."  
  
"My fiancee is *not* a murderous lunatic."  
  
"But ..... "  
  
"To hell with Hermione's pathetic, boring theory that wouldn't hold even a drop of water! Mortel is a nutcase, yes, but I doubt all this crap about split personalities. I'll bet every knut I own that the bastard has a full understanding of what he's doing."  
  
"You so readily think it's a man?"  
  
"He, she, it, whatever. Mortel knows what he's doing and that is that."  
  
"What reasoning do you have to go with that?"  
  
"If he was only operating for a part of the day he would have fucked up by now!" Draco threw his glass at the fire and watched it shatter.  
  
"Maybe he already has."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, you're sitting here aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess." Draco sighed and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Then there is the new evidence that it was your magical energy that was isolated in the blood they found him covered in."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"That's not easy to falsify."  
  
"Well, I can't explain that one, now can I?"  
  
"You didn't cast anything when you found him?"  
  
"I was in too much shock." Draco frowned again and cracked his knuckles. "It really pissed me off." He muttered softly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It had been set up, as if killing Harry Potter. That's what Dumbledore told me about the first murder, and he was right. I remember how pissed off I was."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Why symbolically kill the person you're obsessed with? Most are so far gone they're convinced that everything will work out just perfectly."  
  
"You're still limiting yourself to the assumption that they're obsessed with Harry."  
  
"Why not? When you want to truly get to someone, you go after the people they care about, not them. Mortel tried to frame me, so it must be Harry." Draco drank straight from the decanter as his glass was long gone. "Unless they weren't framing me."  
  
Severus waited patiently. He never did quite understand Draco's logic.  
  
"I've been sitting around here, all self-righteous and fuming right?"  
  
"You have always maintained your innocence and the fact that you were set up."  
  
"I was too concerned with my imprisonment and then impending death to look at it carefully. I spent so much time claiming I was innocent I didn't take the time to work out why I was there."  
  
"I'm not following you."  
  
"If we take just one thing as a given, many others make just as much sense."  
  
"What thing?"  
  
"He was setting up Harry."  
  
Severus let this sit for a second before responding. "You've lost me."  
  
"No, think about it. The blood on the shoes that we both wear, the cloak that could just as easily been his. It had no identifying marks of any kind to say who's it was, it was just in the wardrobe. Hell, it's barely ever been worn."  
  
"You had no alibi."  
  
"Yeah, because I was out. But if he couldn't give me one, I couldn't give him one either."  
  
"The magic residue?"  
  
"That was after I was arrested. I'm talking about the first time around."  
  
"So your idea is that they were trying to get him for it?"  
  
Draco nodded. "If we just say that Mortel isn't Dumbledore or a Slytherin, how would they know that I could get to the dungeons faster than anyone else that night Ron nearly died?"  
  
"Why did you go again?"  
  
"The portrait had a vision, but it came too late."  
  
"And the others turned up because?"  
  
"You know what the portraits are like, it spread like wildfire. Harry heard it from the Hufflepuff portrait, Hermione was trying to escape from Sir Cadogan. Morgan found out from the Grey Lady and sped off to find Dumbledore. He still wasn't there by the time they dragged me off."  
  
"Dumbledore or Morgan?"  
  
"Both."  
  
"And if you hadn't taken the short cut, who would have arrived first?"  
  
"Harry most likely, he was the closest. And he turned up before Hermione anyway."  
  
"So it is quite possible they were trying to get him?"  
  
"Isn't someone always? Even McGonagall tried to kill him."  
  
"True, but she was never the same since her son died. I guess she was more susceptible to Voldemort's empty promises."  
  
Draco shrugged, not caring about her reasons. If he had to do it again, he still would have killed her. "I noticed that they removed the trophy with his name on it. The same one with James Potter's name."  
  
"Yes." Severus didn't elaborate. "Well, after Harry, not you. Now we just need a why." He gave a dry smile. "Do you have anyone desperately in love with you?"  
  
Draco smirked arrogantly. "Everyone."  
  
Severus gave a grunt of laughter as the smile faded from the blonde's face.  
  
"Desperately in love with me." He whispered thinking of a very clear memory when such a thing had been pronounced to him.  
  
"What?"  
  
Draco frowned, telling himself that he must be going crazy. But as he thought about a few other things, he couldn't help but think that they only supported his notion. "Sir, have you ever found that drunken proclamations can hold true?"  
  
"Generally, why?"  
  
"Because one was given to me once, that I decided to believe it was a mistake, not an alcohol induced declaration."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"It was from when I couldn't remember. It was the week before ....."  
  
Snape frowned, watching his former student carefully. "The week before what?"  
  
"Samuel Matthews." Draco's head shot up. "I have to call Hermione. There's something I need to ask her, it's not in her notes." He had already made it across the room and picked up the receiver.  
  
"Are you absolutely insane?"  
  
He looked over as his fingers automatically dialled. "God, I hope so. For Harry's sake, I really hope I am."  
  
Snape gave a wary look as Draco started to tap his foot impatiently.  
  
The young wizard slammed the phone back down in frustration, before picking it up again. "Maybe she went back to Harry's place."  
  
"May I remind you that almost the entire world is waiting on news of your death? It would seem rather foolish to call an apartment where there are possibly five Aurors."  
  
"Five?"  
  
"The two full time guardians, Miss Granger, Harry and I believe your little Ravenclaw opted to keep Harry company in your absence."  
  
Draco spun his whole body around to look at Snape this time. "MORGAN? He's there too? Shit! The wards let in Aurors, even I knew that. He faked his screening tests, the fucking bastard managed it. If I'd just seen it before, but I'm too self-centred. And why the hell is no-one answering?"  
  
Snape waited as Draco kept ranting.  
  
"It's always about me isn't it? Me, me, me, me, me." A few moments later he again slammed the phone down. "FUCK! No answer, I have to go."  
  
"What? Draco, now I realise this is a very stressful ....."  
  
"It had been set up, as if killing Harry Potter." Draco raised an eyebrow. "So let's look at it logically. You hate Harry with a passion but fail at framing him for murder. What do you do?" As he talked Draco had gone over to the cupboard, fiddled with the lock and brought out the potion he was to drink later in the night. "Do you shrug and think 'Oh well, better give up.' or do you hunt the little prick down?" He drank it down.  
  
"Hunt." Snape said instantly, taking a deep breath and then nodding, knowing he wouldn't be successful at stopping the young man anyway. "Be careful. Try not to get yourself killed just as you attempt to clear your name."  
  
Draco barely heard him as he coughed and shook his head roughly as the potion took effect.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	31. Part Thirty : Shed His Wings

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Er, if you made it to here, it's easy sailing from onwards. Only the Epilogue to go and then I'll polish this up to be 100% compatible with HPatOotP. Then it's on to the sequel .... Smoke & Mirrors.  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Part Thirty. Shed His Wings.  
  
"I knew what you had done. Well, I knew the basics. Maybe not every single detail but I could work it out enough."  
  
Harry couldn't really reply. He had been magically paralysed and then levitated back to his bed. He could move his eyes, his eyelids and was still able to breathe but that was about it.  
  
"Violation of the mind? How cold, even for you. I thought you loved him, Harry?"  
  
Harry closed his eyes and tried to break the spell without the use of his wand. A sharp slap to his face made him open them again.  
  
"Don't even try it." A nail was levelled straight at his left shoulder. "Or I'll make you hurt. Slowly."  
  
Harry was rather angry right now. Mostly with himself for not realising it before, not that he was too sure about how he should have.  
  
"Do you know what I've had to do? Can you possibly imagine how hard all this has been? I go to enormous lengths to get you out of the way and somehow it all went so fucked. Draco was arrested, okay, fair enough. I can sort of see how that worked out. I even consoled myself that it was better than nothing. At least he would have been away from you. But then you go and do the unimaginable. You get him off Death Row. That's what the Muggles call it, don't they? Believe me, I was not impressed."  
  
Harry felt himself bounce slightly as his captor sat down next to him.  
  
"I'm only telling you this so you can fully understand. I wouldn't want you to burn in hell without knowing why, after all. You took him away from me. No, don't frown, you did. You betrayed me for the last time and I'm really not going to take it anymore. I don't know why I love him, especially after the way he's treated me, but I do anyway so I guess it doesn't really matter."  
  
Harry couldn't even whimper as the knife made a slight incision in his forearm. He was actually glad about that.  
  
"He was mine and don't worry, I'll get him back. All that planning ... ruined. But that wasn't really the worst. Do you know what the worst part was?" A pause as if he was expecting an answer. "So many people in this world act in a crazy way." He leant forward to look directly into Harry's eyes. "Do you have *any* idea how hard it is to act sane? To act normal?"  
  
A slight creak from the mattress as he stood up and began to pace. "Well, I'm sick of acting normal! I'm sick of pretending to be fine and playing at being cool. I'm tired of the whole mess. But it'll all be okay. I'll kill you, they'll think it's Draco and I'll slip away, distraught at discovering your body. I'll go away for awhile, maybe Germany, and then I'll work out a way to find him. We'll work it out. He'll love me back one day."  
  
Harry wished he could say exactly how unlikely that was but had to resort to blinking it out. His message was not conveyed.  
  
"We'll be happy, and there will be no more of Harry *bloody* Potter." A cold sneer. "No loss, really."  
  
A noise from the living room made both pair of eyes look to the open doorway. A small black blur ran in and jumped up on the bed.  
  
"Fuck off." He swiped at the cat but it jumped back and hissed, scratching his hand as it went passed. "Argh, stupid cat, I'll wring your bloody neck." Another swipe for the feline.  
  
The feline jumped from the bed to the top of the chest of drawers.  
  
"I always hated this fucking thing." He only got a step closer before the cat leaped and then seemed to almost turn inside out.  
  
A heavy black boot smacked into the side of his face, knocking him to the side.  
  
"You hate me? Well, I'm not too fond of you, either." Draco growled out after he had quickly steadied his landing.  
  
Both pairs of eyes widened at him.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"You know, the whole time I was on my way over, I was praying that I was wrong, Weasley."  
  
Ron rubbed his face, still looking confused. "Doesn't suit you." He motioned to Draco's hair, which was currently black.  
  
"Likewise." Draco hissed out.  
  
Ron smiled slightly, running his hand through the white blonde hair he was currently sporting. "I like it. Reminds me of you. Can't keep it all the time though."  
  
Draco looked out the door to the living room. "Where's Hermione?"  
  
"Dead."  
  
Draco closed his eyes, wishing he wasn't such a dickhead. "Morgan?"  
  
Ron sneered. "Sadly the little creep seems to have gone out for the night. Pity really, always hated the way he looked at you."  
  
Draco's glare still had not dimmed. "I thought you got over this little infatuation?"  
  
"It's not an infatuation. I told you, I love you."  
  
"I remember ..... now."  
  
Ron raised his eyebrows. "That one's not my fault."  
  
"You set me up!"  
  
"It wasn't supposed to be you." Ron said sullenly. "I don't know what went wrong there."  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes at the wand Ron was holding.  
  
"Recognise it." Was the playful question.  
  
"My wand from school."  
  
"Yeah. It always seems nice holding it. I can almost feel your energy in it. You had it so long, it won't accept mine. Just like Charlie's used to."  
  
"Where did you get that?"  
  
Ron gave a disappointed look. "I helped you pack for moving into here, remember?" He sighed. "Why should you? Harry's messed your mind up so badly you'll probably never be sure of anything."  
  
Draco held his hand out slowly. "Give me my wand, Ron." He knew he had to get his old wand away from the other man. He carefully felt for his own, wishing that it wouldn't have to come to that. Cursebreakers were not the kind of people you wanted to take on when you were already at a disadvantage. He looked to Harry who was looking back at him. "Yeah, he scrambled my mind for a few months, but *you* nearly got me executed."  
  
"It's not my fault that you somehow got down there. I go to all the trouble of slitting my throat and nailing my hands to a wall and you wander in before Harry? That was just cruel."  
  
"You sound like a broken record. Honestly Weasley, all this whining is very unbecoming." Draco took a step closer. "Let's stop all the foolishness before someone gets hurt."  
  
"But that's the point! It's about god damn time Harry gets hurts for the way he treats people! He took you away from me."  
  
"No, I went willingly."  
  
"Oh, come on, Draco. You don't love him, you only think you do. He's screwed with your mind and worked on you until your convinced you can't live without him."  
  
"I could live without him, I just choose not to."  
  
"And don't think that he loves you, not for a second. You'll only get worse that way."  
  
"He loves me."  
  
"No, he loves the idea of you. Wake up, won't you? This is Harry fucking Potter. The boy who always has to have the best. The best broom, the best books, the best boyfriend." Ron spat out angrily.  
  
Draco raised his left hand and wiggled his fingers. "Fiancee." He raised an eyebrow as Ron gave a frustrated howl.  
  
"He doesn't love you!"  
  
"Tell me, Weasley, did you put Hermione to sleep *every* night? I'm sure her headaches must have been something awful, not just the tiny ones she used to complain about."  
  
"Irritating bitch, I should have killed her years ago."  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes. "Did it turn you on, Ron? Did hurting those defenceless people get you hot?"  
  
"It wasn't about that!"  
  
"Oh, of course, you did all that for me." Draco pulled a disgusted face. "How tragic."  
  
"You were supposed to be mine! Opposites attract and all that crap! We were perfect opposites and you went to *him*!"  
  
"What the hell are you blathering about?" Draco inched forward a little more.  
  
"You were a Slytherin, I was Gryffindor!"  
  
Draco covered the next move forward by attracting Ron's attention to pushing back his fringe. "Harry was Gryffindor."  
  
"Only just. He *should* have been in Slytherin, with all his back stabbing kind."  
  
"Certainly would have made meeting him at night a lot easier for me." Draco gave his perfected sweet smile, designed to infuriate. It never failed.  
  
"You're short, I'm tall, you're naturally smart, I had to practically fight for decent marks, you're ... " Ron trailed off, thinking hard.  
  
"What? I'm rich you're poor? Is that it? You're in love with my money?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"It would make sense, you always hated being poor."  
  
"NO! You were supposed to be mine."  
  
"Based on what? Our height? Give me a break!" Draco was almost within reaching distance now. "Or, I know how about this one ... I'm sane, you're clearly not."  
  
"He did this to me! And you! You didn't fucking help."  
  
"Oh, stop blaming everything on someone else. How do you think I could ever love a whining little bastard like you?" He raised his voice an octave. "Oh, it's all their fault! It's their fault I'm poor. It's their fault I'm gangly. It's their fault I hack up children for a hobby." He sneered. "I've tied up and tortured people, I've ordered an execution, something I've always been against, even before I was facing one. In fact I've even killed two people with the very wand that you're holding now. I've done some pretty low things in my life Weasley, but I've *never* hurt a child!" He took the last small step and plucked his old wand out of Ron's hand so quickly the redhead merely blinked and looked at him in shock. "Nighty night." Draco spat coldly and then muttered the sleeping charm, calmly watching Ron keel over.  
  
He let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes. He walked over and sat down on the bed, giving a nod to Harry. "Don't panic, I *am* going to free you, I just want to say a few things first." Draco shifted uncomfortably, hating that he had to do this but knowing it was necessary. "I sorry I left, okay? Now, in my defence, I'm sure you can see why I was upset, but yeah. I had time, to cool down and I'm sorry I acted so over the top." Draco gave a slight glare. "I hope you know I am rather looking for another apology anyway. I know you said it before, but come on!"  
  
This time he waved his old wand, deactivating the spells on Harry who immediately sat up and wrapped his arms around Draco's neck, dragging him in for a hug. "I *am* sorry."  
  
Draco kissed the side of his neck, slipping his arms around his waist. "I know."  
  
"I couldn't let them kill you."  
  
"I know." Draco took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I probably would have done the same, or worse."  
  
Harry looked to where Ron was softly snoring but had to close his eyes. "So ... you're a cat?"  
  
"Only when I have to be. I came back to keep you close. A few years back, Severus invented this potion that changes my hair to black, and keeps it that way, even when I'm in my Animagus form. Let's face it, white cat, grey eyes ... it doesn't take a genius. Steel *was* a private joke between us."  
  
"So you're just not a registered Animagus?"  
  
"Well, I am actually, just not on the catalogue that the general public gets to read."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind, just tell me how much you love me."  
  
"Love you lots." Harry tightened his hold. "Enough to forgive you for anything." He whispered.  
  
Draco cleared his throat and shifted slightly. "So, I'm guessing that this is one of those moments where we have to be mushy?"  
  
"It wouldn't go astray." Harry nodded his head, without letting go of his lover.  
  
"Well, okay, but bear in mind that I'm not very good at this." Draco pulled back a little so they could look at each other and thought for a few seconds on what he might say. "Um, okay, I've got one, here goes." He took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "I hope, I wish and I pray, that I never again, lose a single memory of mine that has you in it." He smiled and ran his hands through Harry's hair. "Not even one of the bad ones." The smiled faltered a little and he looked worried. "Was that okay?"  
  
Harry nodded and then clutched him harder.  
  
The front door slammed shut. "HEY GUYS, I'M BACK!" Morgan's voice rang throughout the quiet apartment. "The Chinese place was closed, something about a religious holiday, had to get pizza! I wasn't too sure what you new guys eat, so I got a collection ..... " The curious sound of five pizza boxes hitting the floor was what was heard the second after Morgan's voice trailed off. "WHAT THE FUCK?"  
  
Draco smiled weakly and sighed. "At least he'll be happy to see me."  
  
To Be Continued. 


	32. Epilogue : Happily Never After

Disclaimer: Oh yes, of course they're mine. Just as the sun is made of ice and money grows on trees. Miss Rowling? If you wish to sue please find someone else, I can't even afford a lawyer let alone a settlement.  
  
Warnings: Mild sex, avoidence of questions, and freaky eyes have made a come back!!!!!!  
  
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Blood & Nails.  
  
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Epilogue. Happily Never After.  
  
Draco opened his eyes and stretched a little.  
  
"Well?" Came the voice from behind him. "What is the dire prediction for today, my darling?"  
  
He smiled and rolled over on to his back and then to his side, to properly face Harry and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "It's four days until our *vacation* ends and we have to go back to work." He gently smacked Harry on the side of the head. "And don't call me darling."  
  
Harry smiled and then yawned doing his own stretching, not want to get up just yet. "They should have given us longer than a month. I mean, well, Hermione ....." He trailed off and closed his eyes, wondering where it all went wrong.  
  
"It will do Hermione the world of good. She's been sitting around for the last two weeks, organising and reorganising everything in our apartment simply because she has nothing better to do. Work will give her something to hold on to."  
  
"She needs to get better." Harry muttered sullenly. "It nearly destroyed her."  
  
"Working will help her, you know what she's like. She needs something to occupy her days so she can spend only the nights worrying and fretting. It'll be the best thing for her, you know that."  
  
"It just seems wrong to go back so soon."  
  
Draco gave a hum in agreement and kissed him on his neck. "It'll do us all some good to go back to work."  
  
Harry opened his eyes and smiled. "Well, we'd better make good with all this free time, because it'll be ending shortly."  
  
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Draco leant over and gave him a gentle kiss.  
  
"GUYS? YOU UP?" Hermione's voice cut through the room as Harry snickered.  
  
Draco sighed. "Yes we are! So you want to give us a few minutes?"  
  
Harry slapped him on the arm as an odd snorting noise came from the living room. "Don't do that! I don't need the idea of her knowing what we're doing in my head."  
  
"Oh, please. She probably watches."  
  
Harry shut his eyes tightly. "I'm not hearing this. I can't hear a damn thing."  
  
"You know, Potter, it's customary to put your hands over your ears when doing that, not shut your eyes. I think you're getting a little confused."  
  
"Are you going to fuck me or not?"  
  
"Now that I've had the chance to think about it ... or not. Come on, get up and let's have breakfast." And with that Draco rolled off the bed and stood, looking for the clothes he had laid out the night before.  
  
"You're fucking me around, right?"  
  
"No. We have a busy day today." Draco smirked when it wouldn't be seen.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me!"  
  
"We can have sex later, that'll give us something to look forward to. Come on, get up, get dressed, eat."  
  
Harry scowled and watched Draco starting to pull on his clothes. "Prick tease."  
  
"I said later." Draco gave him a mocking look.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes and then had to smile when Draco turned away. "And what if I don't want to go out there just yet?"  
  
"Your choice."  
  
"Fine, I'll just stay here and finish myself off."  
  
Draco stopped walking to the door and looked back. Harry's hand had already slipped under the blanket and it was very clear what was going on under the covers. The blonde weighed his options, decided and walked back to the bed, pulling the blanket back completely and chucking it to the floor. "It's not fair on the other boys when you play this little game on your own, Harry."  
  
"Try and stop me."  
  
"Okay." Draco caught Harry's hand and stopped its movement. "That was easy." He smiled when Harry pouted. "Now, now, don't get upset. You know I'd only do that if I had something else in mind."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Draco took a step back to fully appreciate the view. "Oh, I haven't quite decided just yet. But I'm sure it'll be fun." He ran his tongue across his top lip slowly, enjoying the reaction it received. "You might have to sit up for this." He waited and then sighed. "Well, come on. Sit up."  
  
"Oh, sorry." Harry did as he was told, wondering what the hell was going on.  
  
"No, keep your legs out straight, lean back on your hands if you have to." Harry complied and Draco moved back to kneel on the bed. "Hmmm, now what should I do with you?" He placed his fingertips on Harry's chin and slowly dragged them down his throat and torso, stopping level with Harry's hips, careful not to touch Harry's cock.  
  
"Bastard."  
  
"Whine, whine, whine, whine, whine. Is that all you ever do, Potter?" The fingers trailed back up. "You really should just shut the hell up sometimes." Draco pushed his fingers into Harry's mouth, cutting off whatever he had been about to say. "You've got a very pretty mouth, too bad you ruin the image by speaking." He smiled at the indignant look that was sent. He pulled his fingers out of the other's mouth and sucked the saliva off of them.  
  
Harry smiled at the sight and reached out to bring him in for a kiss, but his hand was batted away. "Hey, come on. One kiss."  
  
"Maybe later. First I want you to fuck me."  
  
"What, I can't fuck *and* kiss you at the same time?"  
  
"I want you to fuck me like you did the first time."  
  
Harry blinked. "What?"  
  
"Well, I thought it would be only fair. We got to relive *my* first time, so now we should do yours." Draco smiled. "Aside form the fact that we don't exactly have a Great Hall, I'm sure we can manage."  
  
"What brought this on?"  
  
Draco smiled, taking his shirt off. "Now I need an excuse for us to fuck the way I want?"  
  
Harry thought about it and shrugged. "Well, not really, no."  
  
Draco was fully naked by now and he hopped on the bed and lay down on his side. "Besides, our beginning wasn't the best. We really should make up for all the hassle and worry that we went through."  
  
Harry pushed him onto his back and then rolled to lie on top of his lover, smiling broadly. "That could take years, you realise."  
  
"That was rather what I was planning on." Draco smirked as he shifted his legs to wrap around Harry's waist. "Didn't you read the inscription on your engagement ring?"  
  
"I don't want to fuck you like the first time, I want to watch your face while I do it." Harry gave a pout, hoping he looked adorable enough for his fiancee to back down.  
  
Draco sighed, not really minding how it was by now, just as long as it ached and was beautiful. "Okay, fine, but next time we get to do it my way."  
  
Harry gave an agreeing nod and moved forwards, pushing himself in slowly. "One day I'll talk you into letting me do it *my* way."  
  
"Where's the fun in it if it doesn't hurt?" Draco looked almost dangerous with the smile that he sent.  
  
"Weirdo." He smiled and shook his head, wondering why Draco liked it to hurt so much, though grateful that it probably wasn't as bad as it used to be. "You'd be surprised how nice it when there's no pain. I always enjoy it like that." Harry pulled back and then moved forward again, enjoying the reactions that this gave him. "Let me guess, you took it dry with no prep the very first time too?" Harry had only ever asked this once before, he'd never really felt the need to know about Draco sex life during the time when it didn't involve him.  
  
"Of course I did. Had to talk him into it though."  
  
"And did he call you a freak?" They picked up a little speed, both of them knowing when to do what by this time.  
  
Draco smirked and shook his head before gasping. "No." He pushed back a little faster this time, wanting it to go on. "I believe 'weirdo' is the word that you've always used."  
  
Harry stopped moving out of pure shock, making Draco grunt with annoyance. "You ... what?" His eyes widened as it all sunk in and he searched Draco's face for any signs that would say he was being played with. There were none. "Jesus, Draco! Were you completely insane? I had no idea of what I was doing, I could have hurt you!"  
  
"You make that sound like a bad thing?" Draco flicked his eyebrows and smiled.  
  
"But I assumed ... I mean, you seemed to know when ..."  
  
"Despite what you must have obviously thought, Potter, I did not spend the entire of my adolescence shacking up with who ever took my fleeting fancy." The thought actually amused Draco somewhat.  
  
Harry was still looking shocked. "But ... you never said and ... I didn't know, I just thought ..."  
  
The blonde gave an annoyed sigh, wishing they could fuck and talk about this at the same time. "Let's see, trying to make sure I didn't fail school and arouse even more suspicion than what I already had." A quick kiss. "Trying to make sure I didn't royally screw up with Voldemort and get my entire family killed." Another kiss, this time to Harry's throat. "And trying to keep myself from screaming in frustration with all that was going on." He smiled and shifted, causing Harry to gasp softly. "When exactly did you think I had the time for anything else? Hell, I had to cut into my sleeping time, just to go and see you when we got together, as it was."  
  
Harry finally started to move again, only much slower this time. "Why *did* you do it?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Start it with me. You said once before that you would never have done that."  
  
Draco gave a tight smile. "Things change." Was all he offered, hoping it would be enough.  
  
Harry looked at him in a peculiar way before just smiling and giving him a kiss. "We'll talk later."  
  
"Glad your finally on the right idea." Draco shifted again to give Harry a better chance to touch him.  
  
Harry complied and firmly wrapped his fingers around Draco's erection, leaning in for another kiss as they continued.  
  
----------  
  
Hermione and Morgan were sitting at the table sifting through some documents. They both gave a smile as Draco sat down on the table top and Harry went to the kitchen to make coffee for everyone.  
  
"Been well since I saw you last night?" Morgan asked, feigning innocence.  
  
Draco tossed a serviette at him. "Shut it, boy." He lit up a cigarette and ignored the frown of displeasure from Hermione. "Everyone looking forward to going back to work?"  
  
"Hermione's already started." Morgan reached over and pulled the cigarette out of Draco's mouth, taking a draw from it himself before handing it back. "She's nuts."  
  
"Well excuse me, but the Mor ....." She shook herself physically before continuing. "I did have other cases that I was investigating. I have to get back to them." Her artificial eye remained trained on the documents as she turned her head to look at the clock. "Only another 99 hours, 23 minutes and 14 seconds before we get back to it."  
  
"You're right." Draco nodded solemnly at Hermione before turning his gaze to Morgan. "She's nuts." He and Morgan shared a smirk as Hermione huffed.  
  
"Anyway." She ignored their expressions. "We were thinking that perhaps we should go to your country house after you've ..." Again, she couldn't continue her sentence, but no one ever made fun of it. "When you've finished the stuff you have to do today."  
  
Draco nodded as he carefully watched how much maple syrup was being poured into his coffee. "Sounds like a great idea. Be nice to get out of the city for awhile."  
  
"Yeah, and your house has everything!" Hermione was cheering up again. "Even a pool!"  
  
"Sure. You're all welcome to use it, but I don't swim." Draco replied smoothly.  
  
Harry walked over to deliver the coffees. "Yes, Ko. We know you don't swim." His tone was almost mocking but Draco let it go.  
  
"Well, if you two are quite finished having sex, we're supposed to go shopping." Hermione took her fake eye out and rubbed it with her special cloth. Morgan blanched at the action, still not comfortable with seeing that happen.  
  
The eye was done amazingly well. Draco had insisted upon getting it custom made which meant that it matched Hermione's original eye colour perfectly, while still being effective and fully functional. Most times when both eyes were pointing in the same direction, you really had to study it hard to be able to spot which one had been replaced and which one was still real. A fact that Hermione's parents had thanked Draco for at least once a day since the incident.  
  
Draco plucked it from her fingers and tossed it in the air a couple of times. "Actually. I was just telling Harry before how you probably use this to watch us."  
  
"I do not! How can you even think that?"  
  
"Oh come on! You would ignore the opportunity of watching two very beautiful boys getting off with each other?"  
  
"I would never intrude on your privacy!" Hermione blushed rather fiercely and ducked her head. "Not on purpose."  
  
Draco snickered as Harry made a yelping noise, spilling his coffee across the table top.  
  
"You watched us!" Harry squeaked, his face starting to burn.  
  
"It was only once!" Hermione tried to defend herself. "By accident. I went to shout that your silencing charm was wearing off so I automatically just turned my head in the direction of your room and well ..... I haven't quite got the hang of this thing yet." She held her hand out for her eye.  
  
"I don't care how it happened, it's creepy." Harry gave a shudder. "I'll never have sex again."  
  
"Bullshit." Draco finished his coffee and carefully tossed his mug to the sink. "We'll just kick her out."  
  
Morgan dissolved into silent laughter, unable to hold it back anymore.  
  
"Fine." Hermione stood up and shuffled her papers back into their folder. "Can we please just go shopping before your hormones over take the world again."  
  
"Too late, but fine."  
  
----------  
  
Draco and Harry quietly walked down the corridor towards the door they had to go through. They had spent hours shopping, talking and occasionally stopping for food with Hermione and Morgan and now they had to do what Draco had hoped to avoid all day. "I swear, Harry, no more than five minutes."  
  
"Fine, sure, okay. But you're still coming, you promised."  
  
"I can't believe I still let you talk me into doing this."  
  
"Oh, come on, Ko. Just please be nice ..... for me."  
  
"Whatever." They walked into a large room. A long table sat in the middle and between the two Aurors on guard sat Ron running his finger over the table top in little patterns. Draco sighed, he hated this little meetings but Harry always looked at him so pleadingly and he gave in every time.  
  
Ron looked up and smiled. "Hello, Draco." Harry may as well have been invisible but both men sat down anyway.  
  
"Good evening, Weasley."  
  
Ron looked like hell. His hair was unkempt, his skin sallow. Even his freckles somehow looked paler, as if his was sick. He wore a bland grey robe that didn't appeared to have been looked after very well and his fingers were dirty from something, probably the stone wall in his cell. The only thing that looked to have been taken care of was the watch around his left wrist. Ron had screamed abuse and struggled, kicking and hitting everything he could when they had tried to take it off him. In the end they just let him keep it. Draco had given him that watch for his eighteenth so he wasn't giving it up without a fight and once some basic tests had been done it showed to be nothing more than a normal watch. Even the Auror directors couldn't find much reason to try and remove it.  
  
It was an awkward and highly uncomfortable talk for Draco. He hated sitting in the same room with the redhead these days. All Ron ever did was say how happy he was to see Draco and it's not like the blonde could return the sentiments. He wanted to strangle him most days. But Draco took deep breaths and gripped Harry's hand under the table, reminding himself that Harry was the reason he was trying to help at all.  
  
They rounded the conversation off and as always Draco stood stock still, controlling every part of him as Ron gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, saying that one day everything would work out for them. Draco always reacted to this by smiling weakly and then practically dragging Harry out of the room. This time was no different.  
  
They walked to the Apparation room so they could go home.  
  
"Why do you insist that I humour him?" Draco sulked and wiped his face on his sleeve. "It makes him happy."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm not too thrilled with it."  
  
"The doctors say that maybe if he's happy, it'll be easier for him to open up to them. He always talks better on the days we visit. Or at least the days you visit."  
  
"Nutcase." Draco muttered darkly. "And don't give me that look Potter, he tried to kill you, so he's not my most favourite person right now."  
  
"Many people have tried to kill me."  
  
"Yeah, and I hate them all too. What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Just try and be nice to him."  
  
"Hey! I *did* petition for the order of execution to be waived. I did that mostly for you, you know?"  
  
"I know and I am grateful, I just wish I could help him." Harry smacked the wall as he walked. "I feel so useless. He was my best friend and now I can't even help him." He scowled, using his sleeve to wipe Draco's face again. "And sometimes I don't even know how I feel about it! Can't decided if I even *want* to help anymore. He did so many horrible things and now he's just sitting here, rotting away in the Ward for the Criminally Insane. I can barely even look Molly in the face and it all just feels like my fault, when it's not. Why the hell did he have to be a lunatic."  
  
Harry's outburst had helped to calm Draco down so he spoke patiently. "Harry, even in the Wizarding world, not everything can be fixed."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but it really bites." Harry sighed and scuffed his boots across the floor. "The Dementors are making him worse."  
  
"I *had* noticed."  
  
They arrived at the room and went in. It was the only place in St Mungos that you could Apparate to or from so it was well guarded by Aurors and even occasionally a couple of Dementors. Harry cast his Patronus as Draco waved to the Aurors and they took their place in the middle of the room as the protection spells were carefully taken down.  
  
"I tell you what, Potter. We won't go to the country house until tomorrow, but tonight ..." Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and pulled him closer. "How about we go home," Draco kissed his mouth gently. "Confiscate her eye and lock Hermione in her room." He kissed the left side of his throat. "And then you can remind me of a few things for a couple of hours?" Draco kissed the other side of his throat as Harry started to smile.  
  
"Again? But I only *reminded* you last night?" He said, pretending to be confused.  
  
"Yeah, but it's the damnedest thing. It's like my mind just can't get the memories to stick." Draco gave a wink as one of the Aurors signalled they could go.  
  
"Then I'll just have to try again." Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and smirked. "Make it more memorable for you this time."  
  
"Yeah, but this does show a nasty trend. You'll probably have to keep refreshing my memory and who knows how many years it could take."  
  
"I think I can manage that."  
  
"Good." Draco kissed him and they Apparated out together.  
  
The End.  
  
Keep your eyes open for the sequel 'Smoke & Mirrors' that *should* be starting soon! 


End file.
